Ousted water chief Laurence MacKenzie is convicted embezzler | UK news | The Guardian

Ousted water chief Laurence MacKenzie is convicted embezzler | UK news | The Guardian: "ousted Northern Ireland Water chief executive, Laurence MacKenzie, is a convicted embezzler who stole cash from a Scottish church, it has been revealed.

That led to questions today as to why proper checks were not carried out into his background by the ministry responsible before his appointment.

South Down MP Margaret Ritchie said it was puzzling that no one checked MacKenzie's background when appointing him to the top post in the troubled state-owned water utility. 'I find it extremely odd that he reached the highest echelons of this organisation given that background. What checking mechanisms have they got in place? Clearly they didn't check deeper enough,' the SDLP leader said.

MacKenzie swindled his church in the Scottish Highlands out of £2,000 almost 30 years ago."