The Art Newspaper

Armouries chief under investigation

By The Art Newspaper. Museums, Issue 192, June 2008
Published online: 01 June 2008

LONDON. The head of the Royal Armouries in Leeds has been suspended from work, pending completion of an investigation into “potential irregularities”.

Paul Evans has been Master and Chief Executive since 2003, and is the organisation’s accounting officer to Parliament. In a statement, Armouries chairperson Ann Green explained: “Following internal system checks picking up potential irregularities, the board of trustees of the Royal Armouries confirms that a senior member of staff has been excluded from work to allow a full and thorough examination. As part of this process, and as a standard measure, a full internal investigation is currently under way in accordance with the Royal Armouries established procedures.” The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which funds the Armouries, is being kept informed.

Although the identity of the individual was not revealed, he was named in The Guardian as Paul Evans. Before joining the Armouries as chief operational officer in 2000, he had no museum experience, having worked for Whitbread pubs and Rank Holidays. He had originally been brought into the Armouries to improve its financial management. Mr Evans was unavailable for comment last month. M.B.