Ex-council chief admits fraud

Allan Baldwick admitted to fraud

A former convener of Dumfries and Galloway Council has admitted seven charges of fraud involving the use of a council credit card.

Allan Baldwick, 52, paid for hotel accommodation, clothing and confectionery.

Dumfries Sheriff Court heard on Tuesday that he was entitled to use the card for those purposes but he should have declared the personal items and repaid the council.

Baldwick, of Hunterlea, Ecclefechan, originally faced 13 charges of expenses fraud but not guilty pleas to six were accepted by the Crown.

It is a matter of some concern that when the system was set up it did not simply allow the card holder to use it only for council business

Procurator fiscal David Howdle

He used the card to pay for hotel accommodation in Blackpool for himself, his wife and two friends.

He bought clothes in Italy, confectionery in Brussels, cigarettes in Paris and also used the card to stay at an hotel after a friend's wedding.

The offences took place over six months to December 1997 and totalled more than £470.

Sentence was deferred until the 12 July for background reports.

System criticised

Baldwick stood down as convener of the council when an inquiry was launched into his use of a Visa card in January, 1998.

The credit card system, set up in 1995, to allow Baldwick, his vice-convener, chief executive, and corporate business manager greater flexibility in relation to expenses when travelling, was criticised by procurator fiscal David Howdle.

"It is a matter of some concern that when the system was set up it did not simply allow the card holder to use it only for council business, but for some reason which I find inexplicable it allowed the card holder to use it for personal expenditure," he said.

A memo from the director of finance to the chief executive in November, 1995, suggested they should have some means of checking on personal use.

Under the card system, each months' visa statements would be accompanied by a claim form filled in for personal expenditure.

Photocopied signatures

In Baldwick's case he had a personal assistant and essentially the forms were completed on his behalf.

But it appears it was often difficult for the assistant to pin him down because of his travel and movements and sometimes they were filled in from his diary and then passed to Baldwick for his signature.

Mr Howdle said that sometimes the forms were sent with photocopy signatures and often visa receipts were not available but nevertheless the forms were accepted.

But Mr Howdle said: "He had the opportunity to check the claim forms were accurately completed but did not in relation to the matters before the court."