LONDON, Jan 18, (Agencies): British police arrested a fourth man on Wednesday as part of an investigation into allegations of spying during a fiercely contested bid process to select who will move into London’s Olympic stadium after the 2012 Games.
A 45-year-old man was detained in south London by officers from the Economic and Specialist Crime Command on suspicion of fraud. Material was seized during a search of a house, Scotland Yard said in a statement.
It is the fourth arrest since November following allegations by soccer club West Ham United and the public body the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) in respect of the unlawful obtaining of information.
OPLC Chairwoman Margaret Ford has accused Premier League soccer club Tottenham Hotspur of putting all her 14 board members under surveillance.
The arrests are the latest twist in a bitter dispute over who should move into the £438 million main stadium on the Olympic Park in east London once the athletes have gone home.
Tottenham went to court seeking a judicial review after the OPLC awarded West Ham preferred bidder status last February. It argued a £40 million loan from bid partner Newham Council gave West Ham an unfair economic advantage and made the decision unlawful. An anonymous party also threatened to challenge the decision at the European Court.

But Tottenham dropped its legal action when the government pulled the plug on the deal in October and decided to keep the stadium in public ownership instead. On Nov 8, a 29-year-old man was arrested in Sussex, southern England, while later that month a 39-year-old man was detained in Surrey.
A third man, 57, was held on Jan 11 in Cheshire, northwest England.
All were arrested on suspicion of fraud and bailed pending further inquiries, and a number of residential and business properties have been searched. Ford told the London Assembly late last year: “My board were put under surveillance by Tottenham Hotspur and the chairman of Tottenham Hotspur felt confident enough to say that in the Sunday Times several months ago, that all 14 members of my board were put under surveillance.
“The Metropolitan Police are now conducting an investigation into that surveillance. There has been all kinds of behaviour here that I could not have anticipated which, believe me, has not been pleasant in the last 12 months.”

Tottenham have strongly denied any suggestion they had carried out surveillance on executives at West Ham or the OPLC. “We consider the making of this baseless accusation to be wholly inappropriate and irresponsible,” a club statement said at the time.
“We totally reject this accusation in the strongest possible terms.”
Union leaders for the London subway system say they’ll be turning up the pressure for a deal to compensate workers for extra duties during the Olympics.
Bob Crow, the general secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport Union, said in a statement Wednesday an offer from the London Underground is insulting and doesn’t compensate workers for demand expected during the July 27-Aug 12 event.
Underground officials disputed Crow’s assessment, but said the matter is still under negotiations. They say subway staff will be asked to work flexibly and that they intend to acknowledge their contributions.
Transportation is a key concern for authorities, who have invested billions in upgrading transport links.
The success or failure of the Olympics hangs in part on the aging system managing an increase in demand.

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INNSBRUCK, Austria: As the first Winter Youth Olympics hit the halfway mark Wednesday, IOC President Jacques Rogge praised the Games’ attendance, and the enthusiastic reception of several new sports here.
“After the success of Singapore (host of the 2010 Summer Youth Games), it is heartwarming to witness a city come alive once again with the spirit of the Youth Olympic Games,” Rogge said in a statement.
“In the five days of the Games so far, we have seen ski halfpipe and women’s ski jump make their debut on an Olympic programme and the introduction of new sport formats, such as the mixed gender parallel team event in alpine skiing.”
“All were received with great enthusiasm by spectators in the packed stadiums”, said Rogge, who was one of the main drivers behind the Youth Olympics idea.
With half of the competitions over, a total 117 medals have been given out, including the first ever African gold medal at a Winter Olympics, which went to Adam Lamhamedi of Morroco for the men’s super-G.
Over 1,000 athlete aged 14-18 are competing in 15 disciplines until Jan 22 in Innsbruck, Austria.