Fraud claims are untrue: excouncil staff member
A FORMER chief financial officer of the Gore District Council is disheartened baseless rumours have reached him on the other side of the world.
Doug Walker, who has alleged there was bullying at the council, said he had been told of and had seen social media commentary falsely claiming he had been expelled from the Institute of Chartered Accountants and committed fraud or theft.
‘‘I’m squeaky clean,’’ he told the Otago Daily Times yesterday.
‘‘I don’t like my reputation being trashed.’’
Mr Walker left his post for the United Kingdom more than 15 years ago, but has lately featured in national media scrutiny of the district council.
He recounted to Newsroom and TVNZ’s Sunday that council chief executive Stephen Parry once arrived unannounced on his London doorstep to tell him he intended to lodge a complaint about him to the institute.
Mr Walker spoke up recently because it seemed Gore Mayor Ben Bell (24) was getting a hard time.
‘‘He had barely been mayor for five minutes and the councillors were ganging up on him and the chief executive was throwing his toys,’’ he said.
The relationship between Mr Bell and Mr Parry broke down last year and councillors last week backed out of putting up a motion declaring they had no confidence in the mayor.
In a letter to the ODT, Mr Walker said his own performance at the council had been considered exceptional, but he resigned because he was on medical stress leave due to extreme workloads and what he believed was bullying, and misconduct charges that he labelled false.
Mr Parry’s complaint to the institute was extensive, alleging a series of false or misleading statements had been made.
Mr Walker said it ‘‘was mainly to do with my affidavit where I expressed concerns about the financial management at the council’’.
‘‘If I had committed fraud or theft, Mr Parry would have certainly included it in his complaint. His complaint was not upheld.’’
However, Mr Walker was admonished for releasing information inappropriately to media and for sending a letter and a statutory declaration about alleged financial mismanagement to elected members when he should have raised such concerns with auditors or the council’s chief executive.
Mr Walker or his lawyer acknowledged to the institute he should not have given the statutory declaration to councillors and conceded some actions had not been professional.
Mr Parry, who has been chief executive at the council since 2001, is on compassionate leave.
He has said a Labour Department investigation was initiated after claims by Mr Walker of bullying.
‘‘The claim was not upheld, nor were any incidents of bullying in the workplace identified,’’ Mr Parry said.
The department’s investigation was 17 years ago and it issued the council with an improvement notice relating to health and safety policy for handling stress and complaints.
Mr Parry said the notice was quickly actioned.
Mr Walker said he still had nightmares about being rehired by the council.
‘‘I can never get it away from it.’’
People sometimes forwarded him articles about Gore and one from Stuff was brought to his attention while he was on the phone to the ODT.
It noted a petition calling for Mr Parry’s resignation would be considered by the council next month.
Mr Walker was aggrieved Mr Parry never lost his job, especially after the London visit.
Mr Walker said his life in Britain was now going well.
‘‘My experiences over here, I wouldn’t swap them for the world.’’