THE chief constable of West York-shire Police has been quizzed about alleged bribery and mis-conduct in public office by PSNI detectives.
Mark Gilmore, who grew up in Belfast and spent most of his career there, was suspended on full pay by West Yorkshire police and crime commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson following his former force's probe into the awarding of police vehicle contracts.
He voluntarily attended a police station in the city last week for interview and PSNI detectives are drawing up a file to be handed to prosecutors who will decide whether to press charges.
A PSNI statement said: "Detectives are also preparing a file on a 49-year-old man following inquiries into bribery and misconduct in public office which were initiated by this investigation. He voluntarily attended a police station in Belfast last week for interview."
Seven men have been arrested by detectives working on the case and
questioned on suspicion of offences including bribery, misconduct in public office and procuring misconduct in public office.
A member of police staff, aged 54, was detained in Co Antrim and released earlier this week.
Mr Gilmore has said he conducted himself with the honesty and integrity expected of someone in his position and had a 31-year unblemished professional record.
The married father of two grown-up sons is from the Shankill Road area of west Belfast and attended the University of Ulster and Harvard in Boston before joining the RUC in 1983 and then the PSNI.
According to the West Yorkshire Police website, during his years as an officer he has gained wide policing experience. He was part of the RUC's fundamental review team in 1995, led by the then deputy chief constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan, and worked as a staff officer for the deputy and then the chief constable before promotion to chief inspector and road policing commander for the Greater Belfast area.
Mr Gilmore then became a superintendent and was commander for the Belfast region tactical support group.
He went on secondment with Lancashire Police and in 2008 he was appointed as chief of staff to Association of Chief Police Officers president Sir Ken Jones.
Five years ago he became assistant chief constable of West Yorkshire Police, then deputy chief of Northumbria Police in 2011 and was appointed chief constable of West Yorkshire Police last year, replacing Sir Norman Bettison.
Retired PSNI assistant chief constable Duncan McCausland was also arrested as part of the PSNI investigation. After he was released, pending a report being sent to prosecutors, Mr McCausland strenuously denied wrongdoing and stressed his determination to prove his innocence.