Saturday, April 10, 2010

Purcell and the 'Big C'


Have some tax payers money, Comrade.


According to the Daily Record, Steven Purcell is to be investigated over corruption claims.


Better late than never, I suppose.


Update - Anna has a very good post...


DRUG shame council boss Steven Purcell is being probed over alleged corruption.


It has been claimed the former Glasgow Council leader used undue influence to help friend and fellow councillor Ruth Black win a £50,000 contract.


An elite team of detectives are now investigating the claims, which it is understood follow a confidential tip-off this week to opposition SNP councillors.


The development is the first confirmed police involvement in the Purcell affair since his dramatic fall from grace last month.


The 37-year-old political high-flier suffered a breakdown and details of his cocaine use emerged.


The Record understand a confidential source supplied the SNP with potentially incriminating information over the award of the running of the city's publicly funded lesbian and gay drop-in centre.


The Nats tipped off police, who put their Major Crimes and Terrorism Investigation Unit on the case.


Officers are said to be examining claims about links between Purcell and Black, who friends say regularly socialised together.


Glasgow City Council chief executive George Black and the council's legal chief Ian Drummond have been made aware of the claims and ordered their own probe.


Ruth Black, 45, who defected to Labour from Tommy Sheridan's Solidarity Party in 2007, is boss of a firm called The Castro Glasgow Ltd, who were competing to run the new lesbianand gay drop-in centre.


A new centre was needed because the old one, formerly headed by Ruth Black, crashed with debts of £300,000 in April 2009, six months after she quit as centre manager.


Insiders say police are looking at claims that Purcell told people Black did not have to worry about the rival bid, as The Castro would be chosen to run the service and receive grant funding of around £50,000 a year.


The Castro was awarded the right to run the centre by the council's executive committee, chaired by Purcell, in October.


It opened in Merchant City last month. Last week, the council were accused of a cover-up after Labour and the Lib Dems voted down an SNP bid for an inquiry into the Purcell scandal.


Purcell, who came out as gay in 2006, fled abroad from his Glasgow home in the wake of his downfall.


A police spokeswoman said last night: "Following recent media reports related to Mr Steven Purcell, Strathclyde Police are assessing the information available to them."


Last night, Ruth Black said she was not aware of any police investigation into the affair.


She said: "This is the first I have heard of it."


And she added: "Both bids were assessed on their merits. It was nothing to do with Stephen Purcell in terms of decision making."


A council spokesman said: "If we receive any information we will pass it to our Internal Audit unit."

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think we can safely say that this is but the tip of the iceberg on cronyism and corruption.

Hopefully it will all just ooze out over the following months like a suppurating infected wound.

A Zimbo said...

Gay and Lesbian drop in centre?

Where's my fuckin' "straight heterosexual drop in center"?

Subsidised by tax payers of course!

Nikostratos said...

snp tip off oh! yeah

Polis being leaned on by the SNP Government........One out of the Nixon play book....

Oldrightie said...

They'll need a jackhammer to find him.

move along now nothing to see here said...

Looking forward to hearing about this on BBC Scotland. No only joking. They won't mention jackhammer shit about it.

microdave said...

"A new centre was needed because the old one, formerly headed by Ruth Black, crashed with debts of £300,000" - So????
If they can't make a go of it, WTF should taxpayers be expected to stump up for another one?

Dark Lochnagar said...

Rab, it would appear from your photo that the bastards are even getting paid in Dollars because of the weakness of the pound! What's wrong with them. I think there should be a police enquiry about where these dollars are coming from. Is it drugs money?

Nikostratos said...

I forgot you cant answer your at work??..........Knobhead he! he! he!

while your away might just break into your blog and have a Dump somewhere in a corner....Phew! what a stink!!

Anonymous said...

Tip of the Iceberg?

If the rumors are correct The bigger stuff is on the horizon.

people have been forthcoming with evidence in light of the allegations.

Anonymous said...

No matter what direction you turn, the stench of Socialist corruption is evident everywhere.

These people aren't fit to push a broom and yet somehow we've swallowed it as they've manipulated power, and destroyed this Country beyond recognition, with their politically correct mandates, and policies of self loathing.

Enough already!

cynicalHighlander said...

Gangster attends Labour fund-raising dinner

"He was seen scoffing a lavish meal and downing drinks before bidding on auction items. And stunned diners say they were OUTRAGED to see the convicted hood lap up attention from fawning Labour activists."

Nikostratos said...

Dazed and confused


Smell that? You smell that?
Socialist corruption son.


Nothing else in the world smells like that.

[kneels]

I love the stench of Socialist corruption in the morning...

Someday this is gonna end...
[suddenly walks off] in Tears!!!

Anonymous said...

Purcell - Labour Party membership suspended.

http://twitter.com/debateisfree/statuses/11992088480

RantinRab said...

Niko, the stinky socialist stench that envelopes you negates the need for you to have a dump.

In fact, a turd can be used as an air freshener for poor deluded socialist folk like yourself!

Aye, I was working. Someone has to pay of Labour's national debt.