Revenue official steals €20k from State

snubbleste

A revenue official responsible for collecting fines from motorists stole nearly €20k from the State over the course of a year.
Motorists caught by gardaí without VRT had their cars seized and would have to meet with Mr Kelly, to pay a fine and get their car back. Mr Kelly would then pocket the fine for himself.
He will be sentenced on July 17 after Judge Hogan indicated he is unlikely to jail Kelly if he continues to repay the stolen money.

http://www.sundayworld.com/news/courts/revenue-official-pocketed-20k-from-state
He won't get a jail sentence, it appears.
Just how endemic is this siphoning of public funds in the public service? There appears to be no deterrent. Just pay it back if you get caught

LadyAthame

Nothing has really changed since Haughey has it?

Halloween Jack

snubbleste wrote: »

http://www.sundayworld.com/news/courts/revenue-official-pocketed-20k-from-state
He won't get a jail sentence, it appears.
Just how endemic is this siphoning of public funds in the public service? There appears to be no deterrent. Just pay it back if you get caught

In fairness unless you can point to employees stealing similar amounts in a similar manner and going to jail, the fact that he's a PS worker and its public money doesn't really have any bearing.

I work in the PS, in a place where stealing money/ fraud is certainly possible.

Does it happen, unfortunately yes, but it's exceptionally rare. I've heard of 2 cases in around 10 years. In both cases the individuals concerned had addiction issues. My employer has many thousands of staff.

For the record, I believe any employee PS OR OTHERWISE, who commits fraud like this should be dealt with in the harshest of manner, abusing trust like that is indeed a heinous crime.

snubbleste

Halloween Jack wrote: »

In fairness unless you can point to employees stealing similar amounts in a similar manner and going to jail, the fact that he's a PS worker and its public money doesn't really have any bearing. ...

Welfare office worker jailed for 16 months for stealing nearly €17,000 in scam

Yes it does, because they are in a position of trust authorised to represent the State.
There are also plenty of examples involving Garda.

conorh91

Halloween Jack wrote: »

the fact that he's a PS worker and its public money doesn't really have any bearing.

Of course it does. It is absolutely vital that the taxpayer should trust the State with the management of public finances, and it is also necessary for this trust to be of an order of magnitude far greater than that with which private firms like retailers and pubs are held.

A public agency which is perceived to be corrupt is far more damaging than some unscrupulous shopkeeper fiddling his own books.

I think it would be a bad idea to rely on the Sunday World in expressing an opinion as to whether or not a non-custodial sentence is appropriate. Nevertheless, based on the courts' emerging tendency to take a more severe line against fraud against the Exchequer in these straitened times, I think the presumption should generally be in favour of a custodial sentence for serious fraud, such as this. The custodial sentence should apply regardless of attempts at repayment, which is the very least the Accused should do.

murpho999

LadyAthame wrote: »

Nothing has really changed since Haughey has it?

Yes it has as he wouldn't have been caught and charged in Haughey's day.

Macavity.

He's shhhtolen our money lads.

Iwasfrozen

snubbleste wrote: »

http://www.sundayworld.com/news/courts/revenue-official-pocketed-20k-from-state
He won't get a jail sentence, it appears.
Just how endemic is this siphoning of public funds in the public service? There appears to be no deterrent. Just pay it back if you get caught

In fairness, almost non existent in Ireland.

corner of hells

snubbleste wrote: »

Welfare office worker jailed for 16 months for stealing nearly €17,000 in scam

Yes it does, because they are in a position of trust authorised to represent the State.
There are also plenty of examples involving Garda.

There are a few examples involving Gardai since 2010 , not plenty.

maxwell smart

corner of hells wrote: »

There are a few examples involving Gardai since 2010 , not plenty.

Did you ever wonder what happens to evidence in Garda stations that isn't recorded on the official log when an audit is going to happen? It ain't there for the audit that is for sure :eek: Wonder where that stuff goes?

corner of hells

maxwell smart wrote: »

Did you ever wonder what happens to evidence in Garda stations that isn't recorded on the official log when an audit is going to happen? It ain't there for the audit that is for sure :eek: Wonder where that stuff goes?

Give us a few examples ?

Polo_Mint

corner of hells wrote: »

Give us a few examples ?

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/garda-probe-as-27000-cash-gone-from-station-29329234.html

http://www.thestar.ie/star/tag/balbriggan-garda-station-money-missing/

Gardai steal money from the station

YFlyer

corner of hells wrote: »

Give us a few examples ?

Poitin.

corner of hells

Polo_Mint wrote: »

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/garda-probe-as-27000-cash-gone-from-station-29329234.html

http://www.thestar.ie/star/tag/balbriggan-garda-station-money-missing/

Gardai steal money from the station

A quick Google will also show one of your examples is from 2009 and with only a couple more examples it would hardly suggest theres a lot of this type of behaviour , we could hardly use the example of the Garda being charged with theft of 6 euros , could we ?

conorh91

corner of hells wrote: »

A quick Google will also show one of your examples is from 2009 and with only a couple more examples it would hardly suggest theres a lot of this type of behaviour , we could hardly use the example of the Garda being charged with theft of 6 euros , could we ?

Nobody said it was commonplace. I believe that's called moving the goalposts.

A culture of shouting down anyone who asks reasonable questions about public property is in nobody's interests, not even that of AGS and its almost entirely honest members.

The_Valeyard

snubbleste wrote: »

http://www.sundayworld.com/news/courts/revenue-official-pocketed-20k-from-state
He won't get a jail sentence, it appears.
Just how endemic is this siphoning of public funds in the public service? There appears to be no deterrent. Just pay it back if you get caught

Piff. Amateurs.

Sure lads in private banks pocketed and gambled billions. No jail either.

corner of hells

conorh91 wrote: »

Nobody said it was commonplace. I believe that's called moving the goalposts.

Ah Conor ,.a poster said there are plenty of examples.

conorh91

corner of hells wrote: »

Ah Conor ,.a poster said there are plenty of examples.

Do you understand the difference between plenty of examples and something being commonplace?

There are plenty of examples of European hurricanes, airline crashes, and child abductions, yet they are all rare events overall.

corner of hells

conorh91 wrote: »

Nobody said it was commonplace. I believe that's called moving the goalposts.

A culture of shouting down anyone who asks reasonable questions about public property is in nobody's interests, not even that of AGS and its almost entirely honest members.

I'm certainly not shouting down anyone who asks any reasonable question about public property or behaviour of Gardai

corner of hells

conorh91 wrote: »

Do you understand the difference between plenty of examples and something being commonplace?

There are plenty of examples of European hurricanes, airline crashes, and child abductions, yet they are all rare events overall.

Yes

macnug

If this guy committed social welfare fraud people would want the guy locked up and the key thrown away. No different in my opinion, stealing is stealing. If people think stealing doesn't go on in the public sector, they don't know anybody in the public sector. I know five ps workers and i know three steal on a regular basis, not cash now but it all still costs the tax payer money. Funny thing is, these same people think everyone on the dole is a scrounger, they just don't get it at all.

Halloween Jack

snubbleste wrote: »

Welfare office worker jailed for 16 months for stealing nearly €17,000 in scam

Yes it does, because they are in a position of trust authorised to represent the State.
There are also plenty of examples involving Garda.

Sorry, I should clarify that I meant an example of a private sector employee being jailed for a similar offence while the PS worker evaded jail time.

Specialun

snubbleste wrote: »

http://www.sundayworld.com/news/courts/revenue-official-pocketed-20k-from-state
He won't get a jail sentence, it appears.
Just how endemic is this siphoning of public funds in the public service? There appears to be no deterrent. Just pay it back if you get caught

There was a guy on 4fm few days ago

He stole 20k from his employer after he thought his young daughter was ill and needed an op. He paid it all back but he was sentenced to 4 years