An abuse of the goodwill of the dying

THE Spanish property market suffered just as badly as the Irish one in the financial crash, but it still beggars belief that a house bought in 2004 for €364,000 sold for just €37,500 in 2015, long after Spain had also experienced a recovery.

The house was willed to Our Lady’s Hospice in Crumlin by a woman who died in 2008. Disposal of the asset fell solely to the then head of finance, Denis Maguire.

In the years the property remained unsold, the hospice paid out €69,703 in management fees and other bills, for many of which there are no invoices, leading to a net loss of more than €32,000.

During those years, Mr Maguire travelled on business to Spain six times – accompanied by his wife on five occasions – running up expenses of €3,620 but no accommodation bills. He has since been dismissed for ‘serious misconduct’ and ‘serious negligence’ and has been questioned by gardaí investigating the sale of the property. The hospice has launched High Court proceedings against him. In the meantime, Mr Maguire has placed the family home solely in his wife’s name.

All cheques in the hospice’s corporate entity, Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Services Ltd, have to be signed by two people. In one instance, a cheque signed by Mr Maguire was countersigned by then CEO Mo Flynn – although she says she was never a cheque signatory.

The company now has procedures to ensure expenses claims are authorised by two independent signatories. This is a welcome move. In recent years, we have seen far too often how lax governance in charitable institutions, which also receive funding from the State, has led to abuses.

In this instance, the greatest abuse of all was to a benefactor kind enough to think of the hospice. Affairs such as this one will lead others making their wills to think twice about doing so, and that would be a very grave disservice to the many charities with blemish-free governance.