09 February 2006

Former UUP councillor cleared of forgery charges

A former Ulster Unionist councillor has been cleared two counts of forgery and false accounting.

Enniskillen solicitor Raymond Ferguson, 64, from Lakeside Avenue in Enniskillen, was accused of drawing up a false invoice and a cheque for more than £18,000 that he then submitted to the Northern Ireland Tourist Board to get almost 40 per cent of it back in grant aid.

The invoice and cheque were in the name of Castlehume Developments, a company in which Mr Ferguson was a partner.

The prosecution had claimed that Mr Ferguson forged the invoice and then paid a cheque for the same amount into a bank account.

It was also claimed that the accused subsequently withdrew the same total of money from the account, later that day.

The jury at yesterday's hearing accepted the former councillor's argument that there had been no dishonesty or attempt to mislead in his actions.

Mr Ferguson was said that he was confident that he would be acquitted, but felt that the case should never have taken place.

(EF/SP)