Greyhound boss resigns ‘before he is pushed’

CONTROVERSIAL Bord na gCon chairman Paschal Taggart jumped before he was pushed, reliable Government sources said last night.

Mr Taggart announced yesterday that he would be retiring from the position he has held for a decade on Friday, six months ahead of the resignation date he had agreed with Sports Minister John O’Donoghue. His statement was issued on the eve of the publication of the Dalton Report into the events surrounding the sacking of chief executive Aidan Tynan last January, particularly the decision of Bord na gCon’s doping control committee, headed by Mr Taggart, to suppress the publication of two positive tests for the banned blood booster, EPO. One finding related to dogs trained by Paul Hennessy, the country’s most successful greyhound trainer.

It also comes three days before Mr Taggart’s appearance before the Dáil’s powerful watchdog, the Public Accounts Committee. In his statement yesterday, Mr Taggart said he would be honouring that commitment.