Read on TwitterTwo weeks ago today, on the 24th September,in the strictest of confidence I met with the Chief Executive of Kildare County Council to hand over documents
and correspondence that I had received regarding allegations of forged signatures on a Kildare County Council application for public funds. I refused to speculate on the intent or benefit of the alleged forgery and requested that it be investigated immediately because at the time
of our meeting I had not had been provided with the outcome of any investigation into a separate complaint I had made in MARCH of this year, also relating to the administration of public funds.
Since I brought the issue to the attention of the Chief Executive 2 weeks ago
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👉" title="Rückhand Zeigefinger nach rechts" aria-label="Emoji: Rückhand Zeigefinger nach rechts"> there has been NO CONTACT by anyone investigating the complaint in Kildare County Council with the person/s whose signatures have allegedly been forged.
This goes against all the assurances of confidentiality mandated in dealing with disclosures and in investigations of
alleged fraud as is outlined in the Councils own Anti-fraud and Corruption policy document
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👉" title="Rückhand Zeigefinger nach rechts" aria-label="Emoji: Rückhand Zeigefinger nach rechts"> Payment into their account, of the public monies allegedly not applied for by a Community group , was confirmed to the group AFTER the issue re signatures was reported to the CE and
BEFORE the investigation has been completed.
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👉" title="Rückhand Zeigefinger nach rechts" aria-label="Emoji: Rückhand Zeigefinger nach rechts"> a separate application form that was missing,has since been produced, with no contact details, no signatures and no dates on the form-nothing to prove when it was submitted or by whom. It’s worth noting that on the basis of this
unsigned and unverified application form, public funds had already been sanctioned.
Most worrying of all,yesterday I was notified that the Council were intending to investigate a complaint about me. It is my opinion that given the two week delay in contacting principle witnesses to the issues and the suspicious timing of the activation of this complaint about me
by the council,that this is an attempt to slur and intimidate me from carrying out my STATUTORY DUTY as an elected public official. For many years, this rotten culture has been allowed to fester in Kildare by successive administrations and politicians without an adequate response
to stop it. I want to assure you, I will not be intimidated, I will not be deflected from exercising my statutory role as an elected public official to exercise oversight of the administration of public funds and assets.
Given the seriousness of the issues that have been brought to the council’s attention, and the council’s conduct AFTER receipt of this information, I have brought these matters to the attention of the @gardainfo to be investigated
I don’t wish to over state the individual amounts being approved . My concern relates to the apparent lack of internal controls in the administration of public funds by Kildare County Council. And if the internal controls for one funding stream are poor, are there others?
