Methodist
minister Paul Flowers seen in video counting out money to buy substances, while
texts discuss drug taking
theguardian.com, Haroon Siddique, Sunday 17 November 2013
 |
| Paul Flowers is shown in a video handing over cash to buy illegal drugs. Photograph: /Co-operative Banking Group |
The
Co-operative Bank's former chairman Paul Flowers has apologised for his
"stupid and wrong" behaviour and said he is seeking professional help
after a video was published showing the Methodist minister handing over money
to buy hard drugs.
The footage
showed Flowers counting out £300 in cash and asking if he could also get hold
of ketamine. The Mail on Sunday said a friend of Flowers handed over the footage, purportedly recorded days after the former Co-operative Bank chairman
gave testimony to the Treasury select committee over the bank's £700m in losses
and its abandoned bid to buy branches of the bailed-out Lloyds Bank.
Stuart
Davies handed over the video and a series of incriminating text messages after
becoming "disgusted by the hypocrisy" of a man who had chaired the
anti-drugs charity Lifeline and written columns about the evils of drug use,
the Mail on Sunday said.
After being
confronted with the material, Flowers, 63, referred to the pressures of his job
and dealing with a family bereavement.
"This
year has been incredibly difficult, with a death in the family and the
pressures of my role with the Co-operative Bank," he said. "At the
lowest point in this terrible period I did things that were stupid and wrong. I
am sorry for this and I am seeking professional help and apologise to all I
have hurt or failed by my actions."
Davies also
handed over text messages purporting to be from Flowers. One said: "I was
'grilled' by the Treasury select committee yesterday and afterwards came to
Manchester to get wasted with friends." In others he said he was on
"ket" and had the club drug GHB. Davies said he smoked cannabis with
Flowers and witnessed him smoking crack cocaine.
The
Co-operative Bank said it had no comment, while the Methodist church said a
thorough investigation would take place.
"We
expect high standards of our ministers and we have procedures in place for when
ministers fail to meet those standards.
"Paul
is suspended from duties for a period of three weeks, pending investigations,
and will not be available to carry out any ministerial work. We will also work
with the police if they feel a crime has been committed."
On 7
November, Flowers tried to spread the blame for the bank's woes, telling the
select committee that politicians had actively encouraged the Co-op Bank's
expansion spree involving an ill-fated attempt to buy 631 branches from the
Lloyds Banking Group.
The bank
also disastrously took over the Britannia building society, a deal that brought
with it a raft of bad loans.
Flowers
said he had resigned as chairman in June 2013 to take responsibility for a£1.5bn capital shortfall that left the Co-op group having to demutualise the
100-year-old bank and hand a 70% share in the British institution to a group of
bondholders involving US hedge funds.
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