GAELIC GAMES news: Croke Park was last night remaining tight-lipped on a stunning revelation that over €60,000 was transferred from Roscommon GAA finances to a company associated with a former chairman of the board.
And an audit into the financial affairs of Roscommon, commissioned by the GAA at national level and conducted by Mulhern Leonard Chartered Accountants in Sligo and Boyle, has revealed slipshod financial management for an organisation handling huge sums of money every year.
The news of the money transfers came to light in an audit of Roscommon's cash crisis - the Croke Park audit showed €60,069 was paid to BLSB Ltd, and associate accounts, between September 2004 and March 2005.
Former chairperson of the board Stephen Banahan - who resigned in July when the board's €1.4-million debt first came to light - is a director of BLSB Ltd.
The news, which broke in yesterday's edition of the Roscommon Champion, has rocked Roscommon GAA. The money has since been transferred back into the county board accounts.
Banahan yesterday declined to comment on the report in the Roscommon Champion, other than to say he was meeting with his legal advisors. Croke Park's press office also declined to issue a statement.
Given that millions of euro are handled every year by voluntary county board officers all over Ireland, the report is a considerable embarrassment for the GAA .
The audit, presented to an in-camera meeting of Roscommon County Board on Thursday night last, did not specify Banahan's involvement in BLSB Ltd, but it came to light during the meeting.
The report also accuses officials of the board of acting in "a grossly negligent manner" when producing figures for the 2004 county convention. These figures showed the board to have a financial surplus of €115,020 for last year, when in fact the true position was a deficit of €255,013.
It said: "Board officials responsible for finance acted in a grossly negligent manner in providing such figures, which proved to be without foundation."
An extraordinary general meeting of the county board is scheduled for the coming weeks and there have been calls locally for all members of the board's executive to resign.
The audit showed spending had been curtailed since March and described this as "a welcome development".
The board owes the Connacht Council €152,000 for 2004 Connacht final tickets. It has term loans totalling €914,372, and its financial position has been helped by the payment last month, earlier than scheduled, of a Croke Park grant of €120,000.
The report reveals that Banahan's company BLSB Ltd was paid €18,000 for work on ducting and dugouts at Kilbride GAA ground.
The board entered into a licence agreement with Kilbride GAA Club in 2004, whereby the board would transform the venue into an all-weather, floodlit pitch - but Kilbride would retain ownership of the pitch. The report also claims the licence agreement was never signed.
It is also critical of the fact that a board finance sub-committee did not function, and added: "It also appears that specific individuals had significant control and a general lack of division of duties existed between elected officers. This was particularly relevant in the area of financial management and control."
A meeting of Roscommon county board is scheduled for tomorrow night, but it is not clear if the finances will be discussed.
One of the pressing items for the county is to appoint a senior football team manager to replace Val Daly, who stepped down recently.
A financial rescue plan is now being prepared, and the one bright spot on the horizon for Roscommon GAA fans is that the overall debt is €1.37 million, and not €1.6 million as earlier feared.
