North Lanarkshire Council has been accused of covering up a report into fraud allegations made against its leader Jim Logue.

Internal auditors have spent months probing the creation of two subsidiary companies of North Lanarkshire Leisure Ltd (NLL Ltd), an arm's length firm owned by the administration which manages the council's gyms and sites such as the Time Capsule.

The companies, ESCA UK Ltd and No Limits Leisure Ltd, were created in 2011 with the Labour councillor acting as a director of both firms from 2012 until they were dissolved four years later.

Neither of the directorships was placed in Logue's register of interests.

A four-paragraph summary has so far been the only public release of information about the report's contents and the council has now rejected an SNP demand for its release.

Last week, Police Scotland confirmed it had received a complaint over the fraud allegations and said enquiries were ongoing. Logue denies any wrongdoing.

He told the Wishaw Press: "The allegations of criminality made against me are completely spurious. Nevertheless I understand that the police have to look into allegations made to them.

"The police have not yet been been in contact with me but I look forward to discussing the matter with them at their convenience.

"Any call for me to step aside is nonsensical and I remain focussed on leading a forward-thinking council providing great services to the people of North Lanarkshire."

In the summary, released last month as part of a progress report into a wider council auditing, head of audit Ken Adamson confirmed "the creation of neither [firm] was approved by, or reported to, the NLL board" and NLL received "no reports" about the companies.

Adamson added: "We also raised a number of issues about overseas travel."

In an email to SNP councillor Allan Stubbs this week, the council's chief executive Paul Jukes said the report would not be published.

Jukes went on to warn Stubbs the council's legal team believes any freedom of information request for the document is likely to face five separate exemptions.

Stubbs said: "I am deeply concerned that the administration appears to be doing everything within its power to block us from seeing the full detail of this report.

"As the opposition on the council we have a duty to scrutinise the actions of the administration and we are being prevented from doing so

"By going to such lengths as involving the council's lawyers to block the release of this report, it inevitably raises more questions about what exactly they are trying to stop us seeing and how much pressure is coming from the council leader to block its release."

He added: "The Labour administration should release the details of the report immediately and stop spending council money on finding ways to cover it up."

The allegation has been denied by Jukes.

He told STV News: "I am disappointed at the implication that I, or any other officer of this council, is engaged in inappropriately suppressing information.

"Council officers act without fear or favour and are required to treat council business in an even-handed manner.

"A summary of the report has been made available publicly and to the audit and scrutiny panel. The council has a long-standing practice of retaining investigative reports and I am satisfied that this practice should be maintained in this case."