Garda faces penalty point quash charges

A Garda superintendent is facing possible fraud charges after the conclusion of an internal probe into claims of penalty points being quashed.

The investigation into the senior garda, who is based in the northern region, has already concluded and is entirely separate to the Garda investigation into the terminating of penalty points in thousands of cases.

The results of that probe, led by Assistant Garda Commissioner John O’Mahoney, were published this week and a superintendent and two inspectors are facing internal disciplinary proceedings. Yesterday, the Garda press office said those hearings had yet to take place.

The case involving the fraud allegations against the superintendent is separate but the allegations were brought to the attention of senior gardaí last year by one of the whistleblowers involved in triggering the wider review of the quashing of penalty points.

The difference in this case appears to rest on the fact that the State was denied revenue by the scrapping of penalty points without an apparent reason.

A chief superintendent conducted the investigation and a file has already been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Yesterday, a Garda spokesman stressed that the DPP must make its decision on whether or not to prosecute and said the allegations of fraud levelled against the superintendent were still being treated as allegations and that no other member of the force is under similar investigation.