Only 2% of welfare fraudsters prosecuted

ONLY a third of the €139 million in overpayments made to welfare recipients between 1998 and 2002 were recovered by the State.

An evaluation carried out by the office of Comptroller and Auditor General John Purcell also found only 2% of social welfare fraud cases resulted in prosecution.

Moreover, 88% of cases where the overpayment was in excess of €5,000 were not prosecuted.