Liverpool Council completed a land deal with a property developer months after he was arrested in relation to the sale of city land.
Businessman Elliot Lawless bought the site on Norfolk Street for £925,000 from Liverpool Council on March 31 2017. Mr Lawless planned to build a hotel on the land which would have formed part of a well known chain.
Mr Lawless was arrested on December 18, 2019 on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud, bribery and corruption. The developer has strenuously denied any wrongdoing and has successfully challenged the legality of the warrants used by police to search his home and office.
