Auditor became council 'thorn'

Andy Sutton is claiming constructive dismissal

Members of a north Wales council had deep concerns that an internal auditor was being stopped from investigating serious problems, a tribunal has heard.

Former Flintshire County Council auditor Andy Sutton, from Wrexham, claims he was prevented from accessing vital documents into alleged council corruption.

Mr Sutton, who "blew the whistle" on senior officers, is claiming constructive dismissal at an industrial tribunal.

Mr Sutton quit his post while on sick leave

At the hearing in Shrewsbury, Mr Sutton claimed he had come under pressure from Flintshire's chief executive Philip McGreevy to drop the four cases.

Liberal Democrat councillor Quentin Dodd said he was aware that Mr Sutton had become a "thorn in the side" of senior Flintshire officers.

Councillor Dodd said opposition members believed Mr Sutton's attempts to carry out his work were being blocked and stifled by the authority's chief officers.

Mr Sutton has claimed officers had covered up four cases of alleged council fraud.

'Acted properly'

But Nigel Grundy, acting for Flintshire council, said the four cases had been referred to the District Auditor.

Mr Grundy insisted the authority had acted properly.

Earlier in the proceedings, the tribunal was told Mr Sutton had resigned from his post while on sick leave last April.

The claims of information being withheld include the controversial purchase of a £600,000 farm in Malpas, after a tenant farmer was moved from land marked for development on Deeside.

'Wall of silence'

But the business development later fell through and North Wales Police were called in to investigate the matter.

In 2000, Mr Sutton and solicitor Mark Humphreys wrote a highly critical letter to all 70 Flintshire councillors about the problems they had experienced.

They alleged that since August 1999 efforts to gain direct access to documents, records and correspondence had either been rejected or met with "a wall of silence".

The tribunal continues.