A FORMER leader of Haringey Council has been found to have brought his role and the authority into disrepute over his handling of the doomed takeover of Alexandra Palace by Firoka.

Charles Adje, then chairman of the Alexandra Park and Palace Board, has been handed a four-month suspension by the council’s Scrutiny Committee after a two day hearing at Wood Green Town Hall.

The deal - later the subject of a High Court challenge - is estimated to have cost Haringey taxpayers more than �1.5 million.

Cllr Adje was found to have broken paragraph five of the councillors’ code of conduct by not showing a briefing note written by the Palace’s general manager, Keith Holder, to the rest of the trustees in 2007.

The note, made on April 16, 2007 said Firoka was locked into a deal and there was no need to take any action while the board awaited the green light from the Charity Commission to hand over the lease to the developers.

But the briefing note was not shown to the rest of the board a week later when instead Mr Holder tabled a recommendation that the transfer of business to Firoka begin as soon as possible under a licence different to that decided in 2002.

The proposed lease was more favourable – meaning the ice rink was included and there was no charge for rent or staff – as Firoka were taking the chance that the Charity Commission may not allow the transfer to go ahead.

The charity commission eventually did allow the lease on May 4, just a fortnight later.

Mr Adje also faced an allegation of breaking the code by putting pressure on Mr Holder to change his mind between the two notes and not disclose the briefing note. However the panel decided they could not find evidence for this.