North's Police Probe Iris Affair

A top PSNI detective is to head an investigation into the way that former DUP MP Iris Robinson arranged the transfer of money between two property developers and her former lover.

Just days after it emerged that she lobbied for three planning applications on behalf of two developers who each provided £25,000 to help set up her ex-lover in business, the PSNI's Organised Crime Branch - which specialises in complex financial investigations - said it will probe whether the law was broken by Mrs Robinson or "any other person referred to in the (BBC Spotlight) programme".

The investigation is led by Det Chief Supt Roy McComb, who heads of the Organised Crime Branch, and comes on top of a series of other investigations in Parliament, the Assembly and Castlereagh Borough Council which will probe

Party colleague, the Stormont Environment Minister Edwin Poots told the Assembly this week that in the last six years Mrs Robinson had contacted the Planning Service on at least three occasions to express support for planning applications on behalf of Ken Campbell and the late Fred Fraser.

He was responding to a question from North Antrim Sinn Féin MLA Daithi McKay, and said that the list was not definitive, as a company search and manual trawl of the records would cost a "disproportionate" amount.

Mrs Robinson lobbied in 2008 for a Newtownards housing scheme linked to builder Ken Campbell, yet, around this same time, she obtained £25,000 from the businessman for her 19-year-old lover Kirk McCambley's new cafe business.

A further £25,000 was received for the cafe from property tycoon Fred Fraser, who has since died.

Now, as the PSNI confirmed that a criminal investigation was under way into the allegations made in the BBC Spotlight programme about the Robinsons, they revealed: "The investigation will seek to establish whether any criminal offence has been committed by Iris Robinson, MP, MLA and by any other person referred to in the programme."

The probe will be conducted in a "thorough and professional manner" and as promptly as possible, police said.

"The Police Service is aware of the substantial public interest in this investigation.

"The police remit is to investigate potential criminality, nothing else. Police will be making no further comment on the investigation at this time."

Mrs Robinson has now resigned her three political positions as she is treated for serious mental health problems.

See: Iris Lobby Probe Halted