A SUM of £80,000 (€89,000) was paid by library authorities in Belfast for work that was never done, the Northern Ireland Comptroller and Auditor General has reported.
His investigation prompted inquiries and uncovered a failure by the Belfast Education and Library Board to protect itself by instilling an anti-fraud culture.
Inquiry results from just two case studies prove the challenges faced by public bodies in this area, the report, published today, finds.
John Dowdall, head of the audit office, ordered a review of other works carried out at 14 libraries designed to bring disability access into line with legislation.
Investigations concluded that improvement work “was often incomplete, poor quality and more expensive than anticipated”.
He also found that following the payment of £287,000 for such work a further £110,000 payment was made for work which was either not carried out or was not completed to standard.