Gardaí refuse to clarify tax status

Senior gardaí have refused to say if five secret bank accounts linked to the Garda college financial scandal are tax-compliant — two weeks after being ordered to clarify the issue.

The stalemate has been outlined in a letter to the Dáil public accounts committee in which gardaí admitted the Revenue Commissioner is still examining the accounts amid concerns they do not comply with the law.

In a 10-hour meeting with civilian Garda management two weeks ago, PAC chairman and Fianna Fáil TD Sean Fleming told officers to clarify whether the five accounts holding hundreds of thousands of euro were tax- compliant.