Gardaí in Galway have said Independent councillor Michael "the Stroke" Fahy may require further respite care after his release from hospital before he is committed to Castlerea Prison in Co Roscommon to serve a one-year jail term.
This follows confirmation of the whereabouts of the former Fianna Fáil councillor, three days after he was discharged from University College Hospital Galway (UCHG).
A Garda spokesman said yesterday that gardaí had visited Mr Fahy in a south Galway private nursing home on Wednesday night and were satisfied that he was under medical supervision.
It may be some days before he is well enough to leave and he may require a further hospital check-up in the interim.
Earlier yesterday, gardaí in Loughrea had said that they were actively trying to locate the councillor and that contact had also been made with his legal representative.
Mr Fahy (56) was admitted to UCHG with chest pains last week, on the eve of his appearance at Loughrea Garda station, which holds a committal warrant for his imprisonment.
Last Thursday, he underwent an operation to insert a stent in an artery and left the hospital on Monday.
Last month, the insurance agent and local authority representative was given a 12-month jail sentence and fined €75,000 at Galway Circuit Criminal Court for fraud and attempted theft from Galway County Council.
The conviction arose from the erection of more than 1.6km of fencing on his farmland by a private contractor working for the local authority.
As he has been living with his 97-year-old mother Mae in Ardrahan, Co Galway, Mr Fahy was given two weeks by Judge Raymond Groarke to get his affairs in order. Mrs Fahy has been in Merlin Park Hospital over the past 10 days, where she is awaiting a bed at St Brendan's Nursing Home in Loughrea.
Mr Fahy had lodged an appeal with the Court of Criminal Appeal, and was unsuccessful in his application for bail two weeks ago.
He intends to continue working as a councillor and Galway County Council has been reluctant to invoke the provisions of the Local Government Act 2001 until such time as the appeal is decided upon.
Gardaí said legal advice may be sought in relation to the date on the committal warrant, given that Mr Fahy does not begin to serve his time until he arrives at Castlerea Prison.
Any change in the warrant would require a further court hearing, but this would be a matter of routine, according to a spokesman.
