The chief executive of the Ulster Unionist Party was one of two men beingquestioned about suspected serious offences within the Electoral Office forNorthern Ireland, it emerged today.
Mr Alastair Patterson and another former electoral office employee were helpingpolice with inquiries into allegations of forgery, false accounting andcorruption.
A police spokeswoman confirmed that two men were being questioned aboutalleged offences within the electoral office between 1996 and 2001.
"Both men are former employees of the electoral office and the investigationcentres on activities in the west of Northern Ireland," she added.
A UUP source confirmed that one of the men was its chief executive, who tookup his post earlier this year.
Mr Patterson was the deputy returning officer who announced the election ofIRA hunger striker Bobby Sands as MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone in 1981.
He had been due to submit the names of several party members to serve on adisciplinary committee set up to decide the fate of three rebel Ulster UnionistMPs.
Party officers were meeting tomorrow to evaluate the nominations of candidatesto consider the cases of Mr Jeffrey Donaldson, Mr David Burnside and the Rev MartinSmyth.
The three MPs were suspended last month by the previous disciplinary panelafter they resigned the party whip at Westminster in protest at Mr David Trimble'shandling of the peace process.
However, the decision was overturned at Belfast High Court after a judge ruledthe suspensions breached the party's constitution.