Kerry TD accused of issuing fake tax forms

THE State Papers have revealed that former South Kerry Labour TD and Junior Minister Michael Moynihan was named as part of a Garda investigation into suspected grants fraud.

Deputy Moynihan – who passed away in June 2001 – came to the attention of gardaí who were investigating an alleged fraud which had, supposedly, been perpetrated by several people living in the Rathmore and Barraduff areas.

Gardaí had been alerted to the suspected scam – which saw fake p60 forms submitted by a number of people in a bid to claim cattle and sheep headage grants – on foot of a complaint from a Department of Agriculture official in Tralee.

A Garda investigation was launched and a secret report on the case – from 1986 and written by a Garda Chief Superintendent – is contained in the state papers released last month under the 30-year-rule.

The report states that nine people were interviewed in relation with the alleged fraud and three of them had linked the bogus forms to Deputy Moynihan, who was then a minister for state at the Department of Trade, Commerce and Tourism.

One man questioned by gardaí said he had received the forms from the Labour TD. “He got a lot of votes out of the factory [location deleted] over them,” the man said.

Another man told gardaí that he had given a genuine P60 form to a TD in Killarney and had received “altered ones” back in the post.

This individual added that he had voted for the politician because he was promised he would arrange headage grants.

Based on these interviews the report states that Gardaí had concluded that bogus p60 forms submitted after 1982 were coming from Mr Moynihan but that earlier ones involved in the inquiry were linked to an office, whose location was redacted.

The report described the fraud “as very ingenious” and said that there appeared to be widespread abuse of the headage grant system in the locality.

Meanwhile the Department of Agriculture said it believed the suspected p60 fraud was just “the tip of the iceberg.”

The late Deputy Moynihan – who was South Kerry Labour TD from 1981 to 1992 (save for one term from 1987 to 1989) – was later prosecuted for his role in the alleged fraud but the case was dismissed by the courts.

Deputy Moynihan had consistently denied any wrongdoing or any involvement in the alleged fraud.