A housing boss suspended by Brighton and Hove City Council has today been questioned by police investigating allegations of an £18m contracts fraud.
Head of housing Jugal Sharma, 53, was interviewed under caution by appointment at Brighton custody centre. He has since left and enquiries are continuing.
The investigation, launched by the Sussex Police Economic Crime Unit in November 2013 following an initial investigation by the council’s own internal audit team, is looking into allegations of the improper awarding of council contracts worth more than £18 million over the past ten years to a property management company providing the homeless with temporary accommodation.
Four men arrested on 6 August on suspicion of the same offences were released on police bail that evening until October while the investigation continues.
Ashley Parker, 51, of Balfour Road, Ilford, the brother of the council’s suspended head of housing Jugal Sharma, and director of a company called KEM Property Services, is now on bail until Thursday 16 October.
Edward Charles Parker-Bancroft, 57, of Harlands Road, Haywards Heath, a shareholder in KEM Property services, is on bail until Friday 17 October
A 53-year old man arrested at an address in Elms Road, Clapham, London, is now on bail until Wednesday 15 October and a 67-year old man arrested at an address in Ashvale Drive, Upminster, Essex, is now on bail until Tuesday 14 October.
An address in Holland Road, Hove, and a business address in Queens Road, Brighton, were also searched on 6 August but no arrests were made at either place.
At each address computers and related equipment, and documents, were seized for examination.
A 45-year old man from Balfour Road, Ilford, attended Brighton Custody by appointment with his solicitor on Thursday 14 August and was interviewed under caution as part of this investigation. He was not arrested and a further interview date has not yet been set.
£18 million is probably more money than all the “benefit fraud” ever committed in this city since the welfare state began!
For this man’s sake and that of his immediate family I am glad this interview has taken place. He and the others are of course legally innocent until proven otherwise yet, I remain a little concerned bythe length of time all this is taking; it takes fartoo long to get things done. I will continueto watch this case
Still no news , I am sickened by this, 10 million has been taken from the welfare bill in Brighton Council enforced by sanctions and work capability assessments, finding the most vulnerable in society fit to work-causing untold misery and homelessness and hunger, I want heads to roll for this scam.and still no news of Sharma being questioned, is he still on holiday?
I stupidly didn’t read this article and assumed it was one I had read weeks before… so he’s been questioned but not arrested? that’s not very reassuring is it? I looked at his several houses some with swimming pools then I looked at the working parents who can’t afford to feed themselves properly, who depend on housing benefit for the roof over their heads, and at the shipping containers housing addicts at a cost of £650 a month rent. Brighton… the best place for investment.. Investing in the poor, investing in addiction, and investing in our apathy to not do anything about it.