The interim Garda Commissioner has said new allegations that penalty points are still being terminated in controversial circumstances have been referred to the ombudsman for investigation.
Garda whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe has made fresh claims that some gardaí are still improperly terminating penalty points, despite assurances by management that the practice had ceased.
In a statement issued by the Garda yesterday, it said interim Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan had forwarded the allegations to Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald and requested a public-interest investigation by the ombudsman. The Minister agreed and has since referred the allegations to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, which will independently examine them.
The Garda statement also said changes to the way the penalty points system operated had been introduced in recent months and Ms O’Sullivan had recently ordered an audit of the system.
Sgt McCabe has said members of the force were continuing to cancel penalty points for friends, despite the introduction of new regulations. The latest allegations relate mostly to gardaí who were previously involved in cancelling points.
