Ex-NCT staff face bribery charges

Three former National Car Test employees and another man have appeared in court accused of accepting bribes in exchange for certificates of road-worthiness.

They were arrested and charged following a four-year garda investigation in the wake of an RTÉ Primetime documentary in 2011.

Former National Car Test (NCT) workers Alan Richardson, aged 27, of Paddock Grove, Adamstown, Lucan, Dublin, Vincent Brunton, aged 32, with an address at Priory Square, Celbridge, Co Kildare, and Darren Meehan, aged 39, of Delamare, Enfield, Co Meath, appeared at Dublin District Court yesterday, along with the fourth defendant, Stephen Rooney, aged 35, of Paddock Grove, Adamstown, Lucan, Dublin.

Mr Richardson is accused of accepting cash as an inducement to procure an NCT certificate, and creating a false NCT cert, on May 14, 2011. Mr Brunton is charged with accepting a gift as an inducement to procure an NCT cert, failing to perform an NCT test on cars, and creating a false NCT certificate, on April 20, 2011.

Mr Meehan is charged with making a false NCT certificate, and accepting a bribe, on May 14, 2011, and Mr Rooney is charged with three counts of creating a false NCT certificate in 2011.

The four men have not yet entered pleas and the Director of Public Prosecutions has directed that they must face trial on indictment.

The cases will go before the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.