Property director accused of paying about £285,000 in bribes to his brother for council housing contracts, court hears

A property director is accused of paying about £285,000 in bribes to his brother to win lucrative council housing contracts, a court has heard. Ashley Parker, 63, allegedly bribed his 64-year-old brother, Jugal Sharma, while serving as housing director at Brighton and Hove City Council between 2004 and 2014. At the time, Parker was running Kem Property Services, which evolved into one of the council’s largest providers of private rented housing. By 2014, the business was reporting annual profits of as much as £2.3 million and had secured a £20 million contract to provide up to 350 flats and houses to the council.

The prosecution says Parker changed his name by deed poll from Ashone Sharma in 2006, after his brother joined the council as a senior executive and later head of housing. The council was reportedly unaware of the family connection for years, with Jugal Sharma signing multiple declarations stating that no immediate family members played any role in council contracts. Prosecutors describe Sharma as “a long time trusted employee of the council” who was expected to act in good faith. Parker and Kem Ltd face six bribery charges, which he denies. The case against Sharma was later dropped due to ill health.

The trial has heard that Parker and Kem Ltd paid bribes to Sharma over roughly a ten-year period, with the aim of ensuring favorable treatment for Kem Ltd and keeping Sharma “sweet,” according to the prosecutor. The exchange allegedly involved funds that helped service Sharma’s own property portfolio. The money was said to have been provided in various forms, including mortgages on an East Sussex farm and other properties across east London and east Sussex. The court also heard that the bribery and corruption occurred within the housing department at Brighton and Hove City Council, with the prosecution arguing that the relationship between the two men went undetected for years.

Parker’s birth name is Ashone Sharma, and he is said to have changed his name in 2006, two to three years after his brother began working at the council. The prosecution noted that the council did not learn of the connection until 2013, when a whistleblower brought the matter to light. Sharma acknowledged their relation after this disclosure but maintained that he was unaware of his brother’s new name or his association with Kem Ltd. The court heard that Sharma’s will, dated 2008, listed his brother as Ashley Parker, underscoring the personal tie between the two men. The council’s rules require employees to declare any conflict of interest, but Sharma is alleged to have repeatedly signed declarations asserting there was no such conflict. The prosecutors say the bribes were designed to influence Sharma’s conduct and to secure favorable outcomes for Kem Ltd.

Sharma denied having any personal involvement in the council’s procurement process, although he was said to have written to Kem Ltd about a temporary housing contract in 2004 and served as the named officer for the council committee responsible for allocating that contract. The prosecutor noted that Parker and Kem Ltd are also facing three counts of corruption and two counts of bribery, with the trial ongoing. The evidence presented so far suggests that the bribes were used to bolster Sharma’s property portfolio and to facilitate the company’s access to council contracts, including the large private rented housing program that Kem Ltd pursued during Parker’s tenure. The case emphasizes concerns about bribery and corruption within local government procurement and the housing sector, and it continues as jurors weigh the charges and the competing narratives presented by the defense and prosecution.