Bribery and misconduct charges filed against former Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson and Derek Hatton after Operation Aloft probe.
Joe Anderson, the former mayor, faces charges including bribery and misconduct. Derek Hatton, a former council leader, is also charged. Nick Kavanagh, formerly with the council, got charged too. His old assistant, Andrew Barr, is in trouble as well.
Two Flanagan Group founders, Julian and Paul, are charged. Even Anderson’s son, David, got charged. The probe started in 2019 and looked at council contracts from 2010 to 2020.
Police first arrested Kavanagh in December 2019, suspecting fraud and misconduct. Joe Anderson was arrested a year later, in December 2020. They suspected bribery, and his son David, and Hatton were also arrested then.
His arrest shook things up quite a bit. He was supposed to run again for mayor. The party suspended him. The government even investigated the council.
Police gave evidence to prosecutors in June 2023. Prosecutors decided on charges last Thursday. Here’s the full list of people charged in Operation Aloft.
David Anderson faces a conspiracy charge. Joe Anderson faces bribery and misconduct charges. Andrew Barr faces bribery and conspiracy charges too. Phillipa Cook faces two bribery charges.
Alex Croft is also charged with bribery. Julian Flanagan faces a bribery conspiracy charge. Paul Flanagan faces a similar charge. Derek Hatton faces bribery and misconduct charges. Sonja Hatton faces a misconduct charge.
Nicholas Kavanagh faces two bribery charges. Adam McLean faces a bribery conspiracy charge. James Shalliker also faces a bribery conspiracy charge. The prosecutor asked people to avoid prejudicing the case and everyone charged will appear in court soon.