A Commonwealth Games legacy project run by a Glasgow Labour councillor is in crisis after a complaint was made to police about alleged financial irregularities.
A senior figure linked to the People’s Development Trust (PDT), which is responsible for the Dalmarnock Hub in the city’s East End, contacted the single force on Friday over concerns about transactions worth around £10,000.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “We can confirm that Police Scotland has received a complaint regarding alleged financial irregularities within the PDT and that police enquiries are currently ongoing.”
Councillor Yvonne Kucuk, who has been on leave from her senior post at the Hub for weeks, could not be contacted for comment yesterday.
The Hub, opened last year by Kenny Dalglish and local politicians including Glasgow council leader Frank McAveety, provides a range of health and childcare services under one roof and is overseen by the PDT.
The project received £3m from the Scottish Government, nearly £1.3m from the Big Lottery Fund and £1.23m from Clyde Gateway, while the council sold the relevant land to the Trust for £1.
Kucuk, a local councillor for Calton since 2012, got the top job of “regeneration manager”, which is believed to command a salary of around £35,000 a year.
However, Trust board members quit last year, fuelling speculation of splits.
One of the departing board members, Reverend Alison Davidge, alerted the BLF to the resignations.
The lottery body then brought in international accountancy firm Mazars to investigate whether the BLF grant had been spent properly.
Another former PDT board member, David Stewart, contacted the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator about governance concerns.
The Mazars report has not been completed, but the PDT carried out its own checks into two financial items and concerns were raised with Police Scotland last week.
Kucuk is off work, but she still declares the paid job on her register of interest.
Separately, she faced criticism last year over the number of her relatives that had been linked to the Hub and the PDT.
She is listed as being on the council’s Regeneration and the Economy Policy Development Committee, as well as on the Youth Engagement Commission.
Fresh management was brought into the PDT before Christmas and there is believed to be a desire amongst the new regime to turn around the ailing project.
A Big Lottery Fund spokesperson said: “In late February we appointed independent auditor, Mazars, to undertake a full assessment of our funding to this organisation. We have remained in close contact with the Trust and have now been informed that they have contacted the police. In the meantime Mazars work is continuing and we are unable to provide an update until it is concluded.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "We are aware of recent developments at the Trust and continue to monitor the situation."
A council spokesman said it would be "inappropriate to comment" due to the police investigation.
Kucuk did not respond to emails or calls.
However, a Scottish Labour spokesperson said: "These are very serious allegations which we are investigating as a matter of urgency.”
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