A SENIOR official at the centre of a second Mathew Street council investigation is the step-father of a member of the band which jumped the queue.
Chris Briggs, interim Assistant Executive Director and the Harbarrowboy's deputy, was being investigated over the appearance of the band SIRENZ at the 2006 Mathew Street Festival.
It is alleged that Briggs abused his position to make sure that the band appeared - flouting the established procedures which every other band had to go through.
Briggs is the step-father of one of the founder members of the Crosby-based six-piece, drummer Marc Guy.
It is claimed that Briggs repeatedly pressurised other staff to make sure that SIRENZ got the gig - abusing his position of public trust.
No action has been taken so far against Briggs or the Harbarrowboy who had also been implicated in the conspiracy to fix a top spot for SIRENZ.
It now seems certain that Colin CoverUp will close the investigation by the city council's discredited internal audit team without any further ado.
He may already have done so.
Paying off the Harbarrowboy with £250,000 of public money gives CoverUp the ideal excuse to say that the investigation can not be brought to a successful conclusion.
CoverUp will also probably have the brass neck to tell everyone that it would not be in the public interest to continue with the probe.
After signing Jase's cheque, he may even claim that continuing the probe would involve further unwarranted public expense!
So if nothing happens to Jase, nothing will happen to Mr Briggs either.
We will never know for certain whether Briggs abused his position of public trust to get a gig for his son and his mates at Mathew Street.
(Although we can make our own minds up about that, eds)
Meanwhile, any of the local bands who played by the rules and failed to get a place at the 2006 Mathew St Festival should now review their strategy for pop world domination.
It would certainly help their chances in future if they had friends in high places within the city council.
