04 July 2003
Westminster City Council has spent more money in the past 18 months trying to trace the assets of its disgraced former leader Dame Shirley Porter than it has been able to recover.
Allegations that Porter controls hundreds of millions of pounds in previously unknown overseas accounts surfaced this week. She has admitted to only £300,000 of assets since Westminster won a court order requiring disclosure 18 months ago.
The council, which is seeking to recover a £37m surcharge imposed on her as a result of the 'homes for votes' scandal in the 1980s, said it had spent £500,000 trying to find her assets.
Material indicating that Porter has assets overseas came to light as a result of an unconnected business dispute involving her son John Porter.
Labour MP Karen Buck, whose constituency covers part of Westminster, this week called on the Audit Commission to take over the recovery process from Westminster. She claimed the Conservative-controlled council was dragging its feet due to the influence of former colleagues of Porter.
But the commission said in a statement that it had 'to date been content with the actions of the city council'. It said it would take action if there were clear evidence that this would be in the public interest.
Westminster's legal director, Colin Wilson, said the council was 'not able to provide chapter and verse on what we are doing… We know this is a slow process and it may appear to the outside world that little is happening [but] this is not a straightforward process.'
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