TWO men have been charged with fraud as part of a police investigation into a data centre in Blaenavon.

Police have charged a 51- year-old man from the Pontypool area and a 50- year-old man from the Trelewis area following an investigation into the Shared Resource Service.

The £3 million data centre, at Victoria House on the Gilchrist Thomas Industrial Estate, opened in February last year and was designed to be the IT hub for Torfaen and Monmouthshire councils, Gwent Police and the Aneurin Bevan Health Board.

But Gwent Police confirmed to the Argus in October that it was investigating allegations of fraud concerning the SRS and had made two arrests.

Police confirmed yesterday that a 51-year-old man has been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, misconduct in a public office and two counts of false accounting.

The 50-year-old man has been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud and false accounting and a 46-year-old man from the Caerleon area has been released with no further action.

Torfaen council told the Argus last year that one of its employees was part of an investigation into alleged financial irregularities and confirmed a council employee had been suspended.

The Argus later learnt that council employee Farooq Dastgir had been suspended from his post as director of the Shared Resource Service.

Torfaen council confirmed yesterday that an employee was still suspended but did not want to comment further.

The two men will appear at Cwmbran Magistrates’ Court on June 7.