Garda Fraud Squad detectives have been called into the Department of Education in Athlone to investigate what is believed to be a fraud of €500,000 by a former member of staff who died in recent weeks.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education and Science said yesterday that the department had reported concerns about a possible fraud and the Garda was investigating the matter. The department was also conducting its own inquiries, the spokesperson said.
It is understood as much as €500,000 is involved in the fraud involving payments made from one section of the department.
An employee is believed to have taken two days' annual leave this month after a colleague asked about the status of an account on which he was working.
Later that week an e-mail was circulated to all department staff outlining that employees would not be allowed to enter the building over the following weekend.
It is understood an employee was denied access to his computer on the Monday morning.
The employee took ill later that day and died later that week.
News of the fraud investigation only emerged in recent weeks. The department's statement yesterday followed media inquiries.
It is believed that other employees in the section have been told not to discuss the matter with anyone, and are assisting in a full audit of all financial transactions over the past few years.
The Athlone section of the department handles a multi-million euro budget each year and is a major employer in the region.