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Friends and colleagues were stunned last night as the former bank boss they regarded as a pillar of the community was exposed as a secret drug-taker.

Paul Flowers was in hiding last night, possibly abroad, as he faced a police quiz over his use of crystal meth, crack cocaine and ketamine.

The ex-chairman of the Co-op bank was immediately suspended as a Methodist minister following the sordid revelations.

Shocking video footage showed him discussing a drug transaction with a dealer in Leeds.

It was filmed earlier this month – just days after he was grilled in Parliament about disastrous £700million losses at the Co-op bank, which prides itself on its “ethical” policies.

Flowers, 63, was seen counting out £300 in £20 notes before sending a friend to collect the drugs.

He issued an apology yesterday, blaming the pressure he was under due to the bank’s near-collapse. He also referring to a recent death in the family, believed to be his mother Muriel.

In a statement, he said: “At the lowest point in this terrible period, I did things that were stupid and wrong.

“I am sorry for this, and I am seeking professional help. I apologise to all I have hurt or failed by my actions.”

Questions are now being asked over whether his drug use affected his decision-making while in charge at the Co-op.

As £132,000-a-year chairman, it was Flowers’ task to oversee the board of directors as they embarked on a series of disastrous business deals.

Flowers spent almost three years in the job – despite admitting his only previous financial experience was working for four years behind a bank counter in his 20s.

He left as chairman in June, after the Co-op recorded £700million losses in the first six months of the year.

The company also faced a furious backlash from its 7.6million members after scrapping its traditional Christmas dividend.

Yesterday a replacement took over Flowers’ duties as a minister at the Wibsey church near his home in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

(Image: Ben Lack)

A spokesman for the Methodist Church in Britain said he had been suspended for three weeks “pending further investigations”.

The spokesman added: “We are asking people to pray for all those involved.”

Stand-in minister the Rev Dr Roger Walton said parishioners were “shocked, saddened and surprised”.

But regular church-goer Christina Neville, 60, stood by Flowers, saying: “He has helped me so much. I will not judge him. I hope he gets the help he needs.”

The former banker’s fall from grace was revealed in a series of damning text messages made public by his friend Stuart Davies, who says he was “disgusted by his hypocrisy”.

The messages suggest Flowers was using hard drugs in the days surrounding his testimony to the Treasury Committee on November 6.

West Yorkshire Police said they had not received a report in relation to the allegations, but had been made aware of them and were making inquiries.

(Image: Ben Lack)

MPs want Flowers recalled before the committee.

Tory MP Brooks Newmark admitted he was “gobsmacked” by the revelations.

On the day after his appearance at the Commons, Flowers sent a text saying: “I was ‘grilled’ by the Treasury Select Committee yesterday and afterwards came to Manchester to get wasted with friends.”

Flowers, who is gay, also boasted of using ketamine, a powerful Class C tranquilliser nicknamed ket, along with cannabis and club drug GHB.

In one text, he told how his plans for a party were “turning into a two day, drug fuelled gay orgy!!!”

In another, he bragged of “snorting some good stuff”. It was sent on the day he was first scheduled to appear before the Commons committee, but the session ran out of time to hear him.

(Image: BBC)

As recently as last week, he texted: “I’m on ket tonight.”

Flowers, a Methodist minister for 40 years, formerly chaired drugs charity Lifeline, whose motto is “Telling the Truth About Drugs.”

In one report, he described “the ever-increasing problems of drug abuse faced by individuals, families and communities”.

He was also a trustee of HIV charity the Terrence Higgins Trust.

Ex-pal Mr Davies, 26, says he first encountered the former Labour councillor via the gay dating mobile phone app Grindr. They exchanged texts in October, and met a few weeks later.

Mr Davies was shocked by his drug taking as he cavorted with two other men.

He told the Mail on Sunday: “After hearing him bragging about his life, connections and all-round good works, it just felt wrong.

"He seemed to be using his status to get young men off their heads for sex.”

Mr Davies says he decided to expose Flowers and recorded part of a trip they took with a third, unidentified man to Leeds to buy drugs.

In time-marked footage, Flowers says after handing over the £300: “What else have we got to get?”

Third man replies: “No, that’s it.” Flowers: “Ket? No?”

The third man says he doesn’t think he can get it and Flowers answers: “Don’t worry. We will cope with what we’ve got.”

Mr Davies, who works in a bank, said Flowers invited him to a party at his house at the end of October.

Shortly before picking him up, Flowers sent a text saying: “Have 2 ags of Charlie [cocaine] here and have ordered another 5... enough? P x”

One minute later he adds: “Also have ket and G [GHB] because they [two other guests] apparently like them...!”

Mr Davies said Flowers was “lining up big fat lines of the stuff”.

He claimed the ex-banker had been at the Commons the previous day for his aborted meeting.

He said: “He took great delight in telling us how he had put one over on them Tory c****, he called them, because they’d wanted him back the next day but he had told them where to go.

“We asked how he kept his drug-taking secret and he laughed and said a Labour MP had passed him in the corridors and said, ‘Have you got a touch of the old Colombian flu?’”

Flowers’ £200,000 detached home in Bradford was empty last night.

An elderly neighbour said: “He is a lovely caring and kind man. This is all totally unexpected.”

Another local said: “He has family and friends across the world so he may well be out of the country. He leads a very full life.”

The Co-op bank declined to comment last night.