PORTS and ferries agency CMAL has published a report saying that there is no evidence of fraud in the contract award of the two fiasco ferries to Ferguson Marine shipyard.

Last  December the Port Glasgow based firm instructed its solicitors to appoint a King’s Counsel to carry out an independent investigation into allegations of fraud and 'rigging' of the Hull 801 and 802 contracts, which were made in a BBC documentary.

Kevin Hobbs, chief executive of CMAL, said: “We welcome the findings of Barry Smith KC‘s independent investigation, which has established no evidence of fraud in the procurement of vessels 801 and 802.

“We do, however, recognise that the report identifies a number of missteps over the course of the procurement during 2014 and 2015, and mitigations have been in place for several years to ensure these do not happen again.

“The KC’s report recognises the CMAL team at the time of this procurement as diligent, dedicated, hardworking individuals – which we stand by entirely.

"This is also true of current team, who are firmly focussed on the delivery of these vessels, working closely with Ferguson's to ensure they enter service as soon as possible.”