Where’s Willie's money?

» Mark Moloney

The Special European Union Programmes Body said that a thorough audit had ‘uncovered major failures’ in how Frazer’s group had spent funds.

ANNOUNCING that he will be leading a unionist mob to Dublin next Saturday (12 January) to demand the removal of the Irish Tricolour from Leinster House, serial headline seeker Willie Frazer wants to know where EU Peace programme funding went and has threatened go to jail himself over EU cash.

Speaking to the Belfast News Letter, Frazer, a spokesperson for the group behind the Union Jack street protests, said:

“There must be an inquiry as to how the £1.5billion peace money from Europe was spent. Who got it?”

So what about the EU funding to Frazer’s own controversial victims group (FAIR) that has been suspended and the £350,000 the Special European Union Programmes Body (SEUPB) is waiting to be handed back.

A spokesperson for SEUPB said that a thorough audit had “uncovered major failures” in how Frazer’s group had spent funds. The EU body said FAIR had been given “every opportunity” to respond but “given the seriousness of the issues, no other recourse [than to withdraw funding] is available”.

The BBC has reported there is a possibility of a civil lawsuit if the funds are not repaid.

Frazer has defiantly told the BBC that he would “go to jail before paying it back”.

Get those 'Free Willie' posters ready.