Former Mid and East Antrim Borough Council chief executive Anne Donaghy is among those under investigation over disputed clothing expenses claimed by a former DUP mayor.
A file has been sent to the Public Prosecution Service as part of a Police Service of Northern Ireland investigation into the matter.
Ms Donaghy, who is from the Dungannon area of Co Tyrone, was formerly chief executive of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, a position she held from 2015 until her departure from the council in 2023.
The latest development relates to an investigation into clothing expenses claimed by former DUP mayor Audrey Wales.
More than £2,300 was spent on clothing and footwear during Ms Wales' time as mayor, despite the council initially stating in response to a Freedom of Information request that the expenditure amounted to around £190.
The issue subsequently became the subject of an internal council investigation, while the PSNI examined the circumstances surrounding the expenses and the handling of information relating to them.
A particular issue concerned a cheque which Ms Wales said she had sent to reimburse the council for the expenditure.
The cheque was received by Ms Donaghy but was not cashed and could not subsequently be located. A second cheque was later sent after Ms Wales became aware that the original payment had not been processed.
The matter was subsequently referred to police.
It has now emerged that a file has been sent to the PPS for consideration.
The PPS will assess the evidence provided by police before deciding whether there is sufficient evidence to bring criminal proceedings.
The referral does not mean that anyone has been charged or that a prosecution will necessarily follow.
Ms Donaghy has been at the centre of a number of controversies during and since her time as chief executive of Mid and East Antrim Council.
She was suspended from her post in December 2021 and subsequently left the council in January 2023.
The Dungannon woman was also convicted this week of two offences relating to the deletion of an email under the Freedom of Information Act.
She was fined £750 on each count at Ballymena Magistrates' Court after being found guilty of deleting an email and procuring the deletion of another.
She was cleared of a third charge.
The case related to an email concerning a letter Ms Donaghy had sent to the Cabinet Office about the Northern Ireland Protocol, Larne Port and alleged threats to council staff.
Her legal representatives said following the conviction that Ms Donaghy maintained her innocence and would “vehemently contest” the findings.
The former council chief's involvement in the mayoral expenses investigation dates back to the controversy over the handling of the original Freedom of Information request and the subsequent attempts to establish the true cost of the clothing.
The latest PPS referral represents a further development in a case which has raised questions over the use of public money, council transparency and the handling of Freedom of Information requests.
No finding of criminal wrongdoing has been made in relation to the mayoral clothing expenses investigation.
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