Anne Donaghy: Ex-council chief investigated in DUP mayor clothing probe

The core of the current investigation revolves around a substantial claim for clothing expenses made by Audrey Wales, an 80-year-old DUP councillor who served as mayor of the former Ballymena borough between 2016 and 2017. During her mayoral term, Wales incurred expenses exceeding £2,300 for clothing. Mayoral roles often involve numerous public engagements, requiring a specific wardrobe for official duties, ceremonies, and civic events. While some councils provide allowances or cover legitimate expenses for such attire, the transparency and proper disclosure of these costs are paramount to maintaining public trust.

The controversy began to unfold in 2019 when a Freedom of Information request was submitted to Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, seeking details of Mayor Wales’s clothing expenses. In response to this initial request, the council stated that Wales had spent a mere £190. This figure represented a drastic understatement, creating a significant discrepancy that would later become central to allegations of deliberate manipulation. The full and accurate cost of over £2,300 was not disclosed until a second FOI request was made in 2022, three years after the initial misleading response. This delayed and inconsistent disclosure immediately raised serious questions about the council’s commitment to transparency and its adherence to the principles of the Freedom of Information Act.

Audrey Wales, in a statement released in 2022, acknowledged the expenses and claimed to have taken steps to reimburse the council for the majority of the spending. She stated that she had sent a cheque in 2019, specifically to quell what she described as "electorally motivated questions." This cheque, intended to cover most of the expenditure, was reportedly received by Anne Donaghy, who was then the chief executive of the council. However, a critical detail emerged: this cheque, despite being received, was never cashed. The reasons behind the failure to process a reimbursement cheque of such significance remain a focal point of the ongoing inquiry. Wales further stated that she sent a second cheque in 2021 after learning that the first had not been processed, indicating her intent to settle the matter. Throughout the ordeal, Wales maintained that she had "at all times" acted in line with "guidance from council officials," suggesting that any procedural missteps or lack of transparency might have originated from within the council’s administrative structures.

In response to the escalating concerns and the glaring inconsistencies in the FOI responses, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council commissioned a Belfast-based firm in 2022 to conduct an independent investigation into the matter. The findings of this internal probe were damning. According to a copy of the report leaked to the Belfast Telegraph, the investigation concluded that the council’s initial FOI response in 2019, which significantly understated Wales’s clothing expenses, involved "a deliberate manipulation." This phrase carries considerable weight, implying intent to deceive rather than a simple administrative error. A finding of "deliberate manipulation" suggests a concerted effort to conceal information from the public, potentially involving multiple individuals and raising serious questions about the integrity of the council’s information management processes and its adherence to its statutory obligations.

Anne Donaghy, for her part, has consistently denied any involvement in discussions surrounding the misleading FOI response. She has previously asserted that an email she sent, which referred to the cheque from Audrey Wales, demonstrated her intention to cash it. This defence positions her as an individual who was aware of the reimbursement but suggests that the failure to process it was not a deliberate act of concealment on her part, or at least not one connected to the FOI response strategy. However, the fact that the cheque remained uncashed, coupled with the "deliberate manipulation" finding, places her actions and responsibilities under intense scrutiny.

The gravity of these allegations prompted the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to launch a criminal investigation. When initially asked about the case, the PSNI confirmed that detectives were "investigating suspected offences of misconduct in public office and under the Freedom of Information Act 2000." Misconduct in public office is a serious common law offence that applies to public office holders who, without reasonable excuse or justification, wilfully neglect to perform a duty or wilfully abuse their power, to such a degree that it amounts to an abuse of the public’s trust. Offences under the Freedom of Information Act typically relate to the destruction or concealment of information to prevent its disclosure.

In a recent update, a PSNI spokesperson informed BBC News NI that a file concerning this investigation was submitted to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) in January 2025. The file relates to three individuals: "two females aged 56 and 42, and a 57-year-old man." It is widely understood that the 56-year-old female mentioned in the PSNI statement refers to Anne Donaghy. While the identities of the other two individuals have not been publicly confirmed, their inclusion in the file suggests a broader scope of potential culpability within the council’s administration. The investigation file, it is understood, specifically relates to alleged offences including misconduct in a public office, underscoring the serious nature of the accusations. The PPS, in line with its policy, does not comment on any evidence or details within a file while it remains under active consideration, as it assesses whether there is sufficient evidence to provide a reasonable prospect of conviction and if prosecution is in the public interest.

This latest development emerges in the immediate aftermath of Anne Donaghy’s recent conviction on Wednesday for two charges connected to deleting or attempting to delete an email with the intent to prevent its disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. This separate legal proceeding saw the 56-year-old, of Clonmore Road, Dungannon, fined £1,500. She was acquitted of a third charge of trying to have an email deleted. The timing of this conviction is particularly significant. It establishes a recent legal precedent regarding Donaghy’s conduct concerning FOI requests and information management, lending a certain weight to the current allegations of "deliberate manipulation" in the DUP mayor’s clothing probe. The conviction highlights a pattern of alleged behaviour concerning transparency and the handling of official communications, which is directly relevant to the accusations she now faces in the clothing expenses case.

The twin investigations and Donaghy’s recent conviction underscore growing concerns about accountability and ethical standards within local government in Northern Ireland. The Freedom of Information Act is a cornerstone of democratic governance, designed to ensure public bodies are transparent and accountable to the citizens they serve. Any alleged attempts to circumvent or manipulate this act erode public trust and undermine the principles of good governance. The outcomes of the PPS review and any subsequent legal proceedings will not only determine the fate of the individuals involved but will also send a powerful message about the consequences of misconduct in public office and the imperative of upholding transparency in local administration. The case of Audrey Wales’s clothing expenses has evolved into a far-reaching inquiry into the integrity of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s operations and the conduct of its former senior leadership.