‘No conflict of interests’ over contract

The CEO of Cork City Council has insisted there is no conflict of interests after her husband’s building firm won a city council-funded revamp of a former cinema for an arts group.

Ann Doherty said she had no role in assessing the tenders, or in the decision to award the contract, estimated to be worth around €260,000, to Kumry Ltd, a construction firm run by her husband, Jim Vaughan.

Ms Doherty, who was a director of Kumry since 1998, said she resigned her position and divested her shareholding in the firm, on September 1, 2014 — a week before she was officially appointed CEO of the council and several weeks before the contract was awarded.