The government has today announced that the Attorney General has retired on the grounds of ill health.
Stephen Harding had been suspended from the role for some time but was still getting his £160,000 salary.
Mr Harding, 54, of Glen Vine, was formally found not guilty of charges of perjury and committing acts against public justice in February 2014 after juries failed to reach a verdict at his trial and subsequent retrial.
But he remained on precautionary suspension.
Chief Minister Alan Bell told Tynwald in March 2014 that it was costing £200,000 a year in personnel to cover for Mr Harding’s suspension alongside that of another suspended member of the Attorney General’s chambers.
This was in additional to the salaries that continue to be paid to staff on precautionary suspension.
Mr Harding was formally cleared of all charges four years to the day since he represented the Treasury as government advocate at the winding-up of a Peel-based developer Street Heritage Ltd (SHL).
The Crown had alleged that Mr Harding misconducted himself at that winding-up hearing and that he lied on oath to cover his tracks at an Advocates’ Disciplinary Tribunal.
Mr Harding told police he deeply regretted ‘an error of judgement’ he made during the winding-up hearing but insisted he did not knowingly or recklessly mislead the court by failing to tell the Deemster that SHL were legally represented or that the company intended to contest the order or seek an adjournment.
In December 2013, the jury in his first trial was discharged after failing to reach a unanimous verdict.
Then in February 2014 a second jury at his retrial similarly failed to reach a verdict.
The prosecution decided to offer no further evidence and Mr Harding returned to court on February 24 when the Deemster formally recorded not guilty verdicts to the two charges he faced.
John Quinn has been appointed acting Attorney General while Mr Harding was suspended.
That temporary post was advertised with a salary of £159,797 a year.
More on this story in Tuesday’s Examiner next week.
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