Larne Harbour from Inver
Credit: Aubrey Dale [CC BY-SA 2.0]

Ms Anne Donaghy, 56, became chief executive of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council in 2015 having risen through the ranks of local government.

In June of 2025 the Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service stated their intention to prosecute Ms Donaghy on three counts of allegedly concealing records, aiding and abetting another person to erase or conceal a record and attempting to erase or conceal a record contrary to Freedom of Information Act and other legislation.

The charges arose out of the deletion of emails that had been sent to members of the DUP. Those emails were in relation to a letter sent to the Cabinet Office in London regarding post-Brexit border checks at Larne Port.

One of those emails was sent to the personal email address of Baroness Arlene Foster who was at the time First Minister of Northern Ireland.

A freedom of information request was subsequently received from Belfast Live journalist Brendan Hughes seeking correspondence in relation to the issues at Larne Port. This request was refused.

Ms Donaghy alleged that this email was deleted in a bid to protect Baroness Foster’s privacy.

However, the judge stated that a perception that Ms Donaghy was too close to the DUP “formed the basis” of her decision to delete the emails leading to the “irrefutable conclusion” that she had intended to prevent the disclosure of information.

In a statement issued on her behalf by her solicitor Kevin Winters of KRW Law, Ms Donaghy has stated that she maintains her innocence and will “vehemently contest” the findings.

The statement continues: “She has been convicted based on a case that was not made against her by the Public Prosecution Service and to that end she did not have an opportunity to defend herself against that case.

“We are currently considering all options in order to set aside the Judgement.”