Chadderton link with palace corruption case

A CHADDERTON man is due in court in relation to contracts awarded by the Royal Household.

Harry Howard (80) is linked to the trial of Ron Harper, deputy property manager at the Royal Household from 1994 until he was suspended in 2012.

Mr Harper — charged with receiving payments of more than £100,000 to award contracts for work at royal palaces — and Mr Howard appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court with seven other men and one woman who all made not-guilty pleas.

It is alleged that between 2006 and 2011, company directors bribed Mr Harper (61), of Sudbury, Suffolk, in return for him awarding them large contracts for work at the palaces.

The work was funded by the then Civil List, now called the Sovereign Grant, and the money was paid by the Government to the Royal Household.

Corrupt

Charges were brought following an investigation by Leicestershire Police’s financial investigation unit. The defendants were sent for trial at Southwark Crown Court with a scheduled hearing of August 12.

The 10 defendants are charged with six offences, including conspiracy to give and receive corrupt payments, conspiracy to commit fraud by abuse of position and converting or transferring criminal property.

Mr Harper is charged with four counts of conspiracy to give and receive corrupt payments.