TAXPAYERS will have to wait many more months to find out what has happened to £6 million of missing public money as a fraud investigation looks set to rumble on well into its fourth year.

Six suspects being investigated over a suspected fraud linked to former Brighton and Hove City Council head of housing Jugal Sharma have had their bail extended until May.

Sussex Police were first called to investigate payments made to the KEM property service owned by Mr Sharma’s brother Ashley Parker in November 2013.

Councillors have raised concerns that the delay was adding to the stress on the accused, harming the council’s and businesses’ reputation as well as holding up the authority’s ability to learn lessons and to potentially recoup any lost funds.

Mr Sharma was suspended from his £82,000-a-year post in October 2013 and sacked for gross misconduct a year ago.

His wife Audrey Sharma remains an environmental health officer with the council.

Raids were carried out on a number of properties in August last year, three KEM directors were arrested and Mr Sharma was questioned under caution.

Mr Sharma was last questioned in April and police say they have no further plans to interview him.

Four other suspects have recently been re-interviewed and re-bailed until May 2016 while a 46-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman from Ilford were re-interviewed in June and re-bailed to next year.

A 36-year old Brighton woman has also been interviewed under caution on suspicion of fraud by false representation and there are no current plans to further interview her.

Conservative councillor Mary Mears said: “I think it’s taking an awful long time and is harming the reputation of the local authority and local businesses.

“This all comes from 2013, there has been an investigation into it so I’m surprised it hasn’t been dealt with already.

“We can’t learn any lessons from this until we have an outcome, there is a service redesign at the moment but we won’t know the right way to go unless the evidence comes out.

“From a council perspective, there is a lot of money involved, and we need to see an end in sight."

A Sussex Police spokesman said the case is still being considered by the CPS while a CPS spokeswoman said their lawyers had provided “early investigative advice” into the case but were awaiting further information from Sussex Police.