A garda has been arrested and suspended on suspicion of deception offences. The officer is accused of stealing significant sums of cash from the public.The arrest follows a major investigation by the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI).It is understood the garda, who is based in the east of the country, is involved in ensuring public service vehicles are roadworthy.
He was, it is alleged, charging huge sums to fix vehicles before they were authorised by the garda as roadworthy and adding fictitious repairs.
It is understood he was questioned at a garda station in county Dublin.
Gardaí from the NBCI are now preparing a file for the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and it is expected the arrested officer will face criminal charges.
Sources confirmed that the investigation is being taken extremely seriously by the NBCI. They also confirmed the officers alleged level of deception is at a considerable level.
Following a Garda investigation, a Garda member was arrested recently in relation to alleged deception offences. The Garda member was suspended at the time of their arrest. A file is being prepared for the DPP, Garda headquarters told the Sunday Independent.
The Garda Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) became operational recently. In March, the Garda Inspectorate published a report warning of the potential for gardaí to abuse their power for sexual gain and the need to ensure officers maintain professional boundaries.
The report also pointed to weaknesses in the areas of substance testing, business interests, and post-employment activities for gardaí.
In response, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris pointed to the establishment of the ACU, while describing the report as useful and informative.
He also said it was clear that gardaí were predominantly honest and performed their duty with integrity.
