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Four men were arrested by Lancashire police yesterday as part of their long-running One Connect investigation.
According to reports, one of those held was Councillor Geoff Driver, the leader of the Conservative group on Lancashire County Council. He is set to take over as leader of the local authority later this week.
In a statement yesterday Lancashire Police said: “Four men have been arrested this morning in connection with an investigation into conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.”
The statement added: “The arrests are part of a wider long-running investigation into allegations of fraud, although none of the men have been arrested today on suspicion of fraud.
The investigation into fraud allegations began in 2013. One Connect was a partnership between the county council and BT which was set up by the then Conservative run authority in May 2011.
The Conservatives regained control of LCC in this month’s elections and Councillor Driver is expected to be named as leader at a meeting on Thursday. There was no comment from Lancashire County Council. The men were believed to be being questioned yesterday at Skelmersdale police station.
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