Trio did not know they were on board of Console

Three of the remaining directors of beleaguered suicide bereavement charity Console did not even know they were directors.

The detail emerged in the High Court yesterday after Mr Justice Paul Gilligan granted temporary injunctions preventing access to the bank accounts of the suicide bereavement counselling service by former chief executive Paul Kelly, his wife Patricia, and Mr Kelly’s sister Joan McKenna.

David Hall, the interim CEO appointed by the board to run the organisation, said in an affidavit that the three directors — Ursula Mulkerrins, Angela McGovern, and Gerard Tiernan — did not even know they were directors and had not attended functions, events or activities of Console. They had no hand, act or part in running the charity and were not notified of, or attended, any meetings of the board.

Mr Hall said there was a provision in Console’s rules, under which it is registered as a company, that no director or trustee be paid a salary, fees or receive any remuneration. The address of all three defendants and the company itself is Alexandra Manor, Clane, Co Kildare.

Mr Hall said he was appointed by the Console board to carry out an investigation with accountant Tom Murray on the same day as an RTÉ Prime Time programme carried a report of its investigations into the charity.

Console founder Paul Kelly who has since stepped down from the charity after allegations surfaced of serious deception and mismanagement. The charities regulator, John Farrelly, said he only became aware of the claims when he saw RTÉ’s ‘Prime Time investigates’ programme last week

Mr Hall and Mr Murray prepared an interim report raising serious concerns about the control, running and governance of Console.

Concerns arose that the lack of management was affecting the running of the organisation and that someone had been in its offices over the weekend and some records were now missing. There were further concerns about its bank accounts and that there were potentially 10-plus credit cards over which there was no control.

The computer which holds staff payroll and payment records had also been removed from the office.

Mr Hall took a number of steps to protect the charity including informing the Charities Regulatory Authority, the Director of Corporate Enforcement, and the Garda Fraud Bureau.

During the injunction application, the court heard concerns were first raised in a HSE audit report about the governance of Console.

The case comes back before the court next Tuesday.

Last night, the HSE said concerns about Console were raised relating to corporate governance in 2009 and “certain control actions were put in place at the time including a limit placed on the organisations funding”.

However an increase in funding occurred in 2013 “when there was an urgent requirement for Console [to] take over an important suicide helpline”. This funding was subject to review on foot of which the National Office for Suicide Prevention had concerns — leading to a request for an internal HSE audit last year.

The HSE said that audit — which includes feedback from Console — is now complete and will ultimately inform a decision “regarding the HSE’s future arrangements with Console”.

The HSE has also met with David Hall.