Former boss of NI Events Company pleads guilty

A former director of the Northern Ireland Events Company has pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office.
By The Newsroom
Published 27th Sep 2019, 18:44 BST
PACEMAKER, BELFAST The Northern Ireland Audit Office has found that a chief executive of a defunct quango used fabricated documents to cover up escalating financial losses amounting to £1.5m. The Office said Janice McAleeses standard of leadership within the Northern Ireland Events Company (NIEC) fell well short of what is expected from an accounting officer. The NIEC was set up in 1997 to bring headline events to Northern Ireland and was instrumental in bringing the likes of Elton John and Luciano Pavarotti to perform in the grounds of Stormont. The body folded as the result of a scandal in 2007, having received £18m in public funds.PACEMAKER, BELFAST The Northern Ireland Audit Office has found that a chief executive of a defunct quango used fabricated documents to cover up escalating financial losses amounting to £1.5m. The Office said Janice McAleeses standard of leadership within the Northern Ireland Events Company (NIEC) fell well short of what is expected from an accounting officer. The NIEC was set up in 1997 to bring headline events to Northern Ireland and was instrumental in bringing the likes of Elton John and Luciano Pavarotti to perform in the grounds of Stormont. The body folded as the result of a scandal in 2007, having received £18m in public funds.
PACEMAKER, BELFAST The Northern Ireland Audit Office has found that a chief executive of a defunct quango used fabricated documents to cover up escalating financial losses amounting to £1.5m. The Office said Janice McAleeses standard of leadership within the Northern Ireland Events Company (NIEC) fell well short of what is expected from an accounting officer. The NIEC was set up in 1997 to bring headline events to Northern Ireland and was instrumental in bringing the likes of Elton John and Luciano Pavarotti to perform in the grounds of Stormont. The body folded as the result of a scandal in 2007, having received £18m in public funds.

Janice McAleese and co-accused Damien Fleming had been due to go on trial next year on charges relating to the collapse of NIEC.

The case was listed for mention only at Belfast Crown Court on Friday but defence counsel for both defendants asked for them to be re-arraigned.

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An amended charge was put to McAleese, stating that on dates between October 1, 2004 and January 1, 2006, “being a public officer acting as Chief Executive Officer of the Northern Ireland Events Company, you wilfully neglected to perform your duty and/or wilfully misconducted yourself to such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the thrust of the public”.

The charge added that she arranged for “payments of approximately £330,000 to be made to Damien Fleming/Schism Ltd which were in excess of payments approved by the NIEC Board and were paid without the authority or knowledge of the Board and received payments of £49,800 from Damien Fleming/Schism Ltd”.

When the amended charge was put to her by the clerk of the court, McAleese (55), of Elvanfort Biggar in Lanarkshire, Scotland, replied: “Guilty.”

Damien Fleming (55), of Station Road in Maghera, Co Londonderry, pleaded guilty to an amended charge of aiding and abetting McAleese in misconduct in public office.

Judge Finnegan adjourned sentencing until next month.

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In 2016, McAleese was banned from being a company director for 14 years following the collapse of the NIEC quango. She had run the company from 2003 to 2007, resigning shortly before serious financial problems came to light. The company folded in 2007, leaving debts of around £1.6m.