No jail after repaying €45k falsely-claimed jobseeker’s allowance

A man who claimed €45,000 in jobseeker’s allowance by using two different identities over several years, while working under a third identity, avoided a jail term yesterday by repaying the full amount of fraudulent claims. Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin imposed an 18-month suspended jail term on Jose Da Costa, aged 37, who was living at Hardwick St, on St Patrick’s Hill, Cork.

Da Costa had gathered a total of €14,000 and offered to make weekly payments at a rate of €125 per week until the balance is cleared.