Jury discharged in Garda tyre fraud trial

The jury has been discharged in the trial of a former national sales manager for Advance Tyres charged with conspiring to defraud the State over a contract to supply tyres to An Garda Siochana.

Ben Meehan (aged 47), of Bettyglen, Raheny, formerly the National Fleet Sales Manager for Advance Tyres, is accused of conspiring with his colleague, Michael Queenan and with Sergeant Ronan Dunne to falsify figures so that Advance would retain the contract to supply tyres for garda cars.

He pleaded not guilty to conspiring with them to defraud the Minster for Justice, Equality and Law Reform by agreeing to prepare a memorandum which purported to be a price list of Advance Tyres Company Ltd in order to support a false analysis of comparative tyre prices which they knew to be false, with the intention to defraud, on a date between May 1, 1998 and July 31, 1998.

The jury of five men and seven women was discharged by Judge Yvonne Murphy on day two of the trial.