THE TRADE union Siptu has called in the Garda Fraud Squad to investigate what happened to two payments of €190,000 each, originally sanctioned by the Department of Health for training but which cannot now be traced.
The Dáil Public Accounts Committee was told in December that there was evidence of two payments sanctioned by the Department of Health in 2001 and 2002 for €190,000 to be channelled through the former office of health management to Siptu for frontline personnel training.
However, HSE internal auditor Geraldine Smith said: “We can’t see where it has gone.”
Ms Smith said the department had confirmed the payment had been made to the office of health management. She said that in July 2001, the then office director Alan Smith had written to the department to say he had paid the money into an account known as the Siptu national health and local authority levy fund account.
This account was controlled by two senior figures associated with the union. However, Siptu corporately has repeatedly said it knew nothing about the account.
In a letter published on the Public Accounts Committee website, Siptu general secretary Joe O’Flynn said: “As Siptu was implicated in this most serious matter and, as we did not seek or receive the said monies, we have referred the matter to the Garda Fraud Squad for investigation.” Siptu said it intended to assist fully the Public Accounts Committee.
Various investigations over the last year or so have revealed that more than €5 million from various State sources was paid into the Siptu national health and local authority levy fund account.
Some of this money was used to pay for foreign travel for senior civil and public service staff, trade union leaders and others.
A Siptu spokesman said last night it would also give every assistance to the Comptroller and Auditor General in gaining access to report carried out by accountants Grant Thornton, which was commissioned by the legal representatives of the account signatories.