More than 40 investigations have taken place into money being held as evidence in Garda stations going missing, the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has been told.
Garda authorities told the committee in a note in recent days that 11 such inquiries into missing money were still ongoing.
The chairman of the PAC John Brady of Sinn Féin said it had previously been told that €40 million was being held as evidence by gardaí in stations across the country.
Paul McAuliffe of Fianna Fáil, who had asked the original question about cash being held as evidence when former garda commissioner Drew Harris appeared at the committee, said that amounts involved were “jaw dropping”.
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Mr Brady and Mr McAuliffe said the committee needed to seek further information from Garda authorities about the issue.
In its note to the committee, Garda authorities said in the period 2020-2025, 41 investigations were conducted regarding money disappearing from storage in Garda Stations.
Mr Brady said it was “quite alarming” that over the last five years or so there were 41 investigations into money going missing.
“It opens up serious concerns and compounds concerns established at our previous hearings. We need additional information in relation to those investigations.”
“They say that 30 of those cases have been concluded and we need to establish as to whether there were any charges or disciplinary actions taken on foot of those 30 cases. The other 11 ongoing cases, there is obviously due process to be carried out.”
“We need to establish the cash amounts in each of the 41 cases and whether the money was recovered in any of those incidences”, he said.
Mr Brady said the committee would also seek to establish as to whether the cash being held as evidence that went missing had any knock on impact on the criminal investigations concerned.
He said the issue of the money going missing “opens up broader concerns about other evidence being held in Garda Stations”.
“We need to establish similarly to in terms of the cash going missing, about firearms or drugs that may have going missing while being held in Garda Stations.”
Mr McAuliffe said the figure of €40 million being held in cash as evidence in Garda Stations was “unbelievable”.
“I would have hoped as a result of our reaction to that there would have been a better response [from gardaí] in terms of correspondence [to the committee].”
He said unlike drugs, cash was very easily exchanged and there should be additional protections above the norm in place in respect of evidence being held.
