Document 3: Complaint: Further information Jim Allister QC MLA

Annex B3

Commissioner for Standards. Jim Allister MLA
Room 283, Parliament Buildings. Room 252 Parliament Buildings

6 February 2021

Dear Commissioner,

Re: Complaint against Maolisa McHugh MLA

I refer to your letter of 2 February 2021.

I believe Mr McHugh's actions and inactions breached the following rules of the Code:

4.1.1 - in that his complicity in failing to return the £10,000 until public exposure, though he had knowledge of its receipt, amounted to a failure to adequately or at all consider the public interest.

4.1.4 - in that he failed to register in the Assembly's Register of Members' Interests details of his interest in the subject property which benefitted from a COVID grant of £10,000.

4.1.5 - in that he failed to declare in the Assembly Finance Committee his interest in a constituency office in respect of which a £10,000 grant had been paid when the Head of LPS was before the committee on a number of occasions discussing the said payments and scheme.

4.1.19 - in that he failed to take reasonable care to ensure that his staff, when acting on his behalf, took adequate steps to ensure the said £10,000 was returned, not least since he had knowledge of the payment and having regard to the expectations of the rules of conduct.

By reason of the above I believe Mr McHugh failed to conduct himself in a manner which would tend to maintain and strengthen the public's trust and confidence in the integrity of the Assembly and thereby he brought the Assembly into disrepute.

Yours sincerely,

Jim Allister