Monday, April 14, 2014
IS 100% ON. We’re seeing stars
Comic Con hits town »p3
Copy, taste
Dublin Week »p14
Tell Gardaí of ‘bus bribery’
THE Minister for Transport has called on a whistleblower to immediately report allegations that bribes were given to Bus Éireann in return for contracts. The Irish Mail On Sunday claimed the details emerged in an affidavit sent to the Department of Education by the whistleblower last year. The former contractor claimed staff received payments, favours, holidays and gifts for contracts to take disabled children to school. The department, which pays €166million a year to Bus Éireann to run the scheme, launched an internal investigation, but this concluded there was no basis for disciplinary action or to involve the Gardaí. Bus Éireann chief executive Martin Nolan wrote to the Dáil Public Accounts Commuitte with the findings, but a secret tape recording of a meeting between a whistleblower and a Bus Éireann
by anGharad williaMs
official appears at odds with this. The internal inquiry found the was a lack of credible evidence about corrupt practices, and the whistleblower withdrew the allegations and agreed he lost his contract legitimately. But the transcript of the conversation reportedly shows the whistleblower stood by his claims. In a joint statement yesterday, Transport Minister Leo Varadkar, Minister of State for Commuter and Public Transport Alan Kelly and Minister of State for Training and Skills Ciarán Cannon called on the whistleblower to go to the Gardaí, ‘the only body with the competence to investigate allegations of a crime of this nature’. They added that all individuals are entitled to have their good name protected and have sought a full report from Bus Éireann.
Allegations staff were bribed
HOWDY NEIGH-BOUR: War Horse Joey, the breathing, galloping puppet created by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company currently appearing at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, meets racegoers and some fellow equines in the parade ring at the Curragh Racecourse, Kildare, yesterday
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Keep Dublin tidy – Please recycle this Metro Herald when you are finished with it