PROSECUTORS are being asked to decide after four years whether a corruption investigation into the alleged misuse of £25 million of taxpayers’ money should now go to court

Sussex Police will file final reports on seven suspects to the Crown Prosecution Service later this year as part of an investigation into alleged improper awarding of contracts at Brighton and Hove City Council.

The authority’s head of housing Jugal Sharma was suspended in October 2013 after a whistleblower raised concerns about irregularities in short-term leasing contracts with the KEM property service owned by his brother Ashley Parker.

The investigation has been held up for almost two years because of a dispute about the validity of warrants used in seizing evidence during raids on homes across Sussex, Essex and London in August 2014.

Sussex Police recently won a court battle allowing the force to retain the seized files and computers which officers had been prevented from looking at since the launch of a judicial review by five of the suspects in May 2015.

Last year the police had reached an out-of-court agreement accepting the warrants were “not technically valid”.

Following the ruling, and expiration of current bail terms, four suspects arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and corruption have now been stood down because of the length of time they have been on bail.

A fifth suspect, a 53-year old man from London, has been informed no further action will be taken against him.

Three further suspects, including Mr Sharma, were interviewed under caution by appointment within the first months of the investigation but have been subject to no further police action since.

A police spokesman said: “Final reports will be submitted to the CPS later this year in relation to the seven people interviewed under caution.”