A 42-year-old garda has been remanded in custody for sentence next Monday on forgery and corruption charges in connection with the issuing of Dublin taxi licences.
Oliver O'Connor, of Castle knock Way, Castleknock, and co-accused, Pius Knowles (68), a taxi-driver, with an address at Rathdown Square, Dublin, pleaded guilty to four separate charges of forgery and corruption in connection with the taxi licences. They were both remanded at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
O'Connor admitted two charges of forgery and a further two of accepting bribes of £400 and £260.
Knowles pleaded guilty to two charges of forgery and also two charges of offering bribes of £400 and £260 to O'Connor.
Judge Frank O'Donnell said that the charges against the two were very serious. "The root of trust that the public has and public confidence has been seriously undermined," he said. He remanded both in custody until Monday.
Det Chief Supt Martin Donnellan told Mr Patrick Gageby SC, prosecuting, thatO'Connor joined the Garda in 1979 as a mechanic. He was promoted in 1990 to the Garda Carriage Office where his duties included issuing taxi licences to public service vehicles.
O'Connor would forge the signature of the superintendent on licence applications, about 70 per cent of which were channelled through Knowles, who had his own hackney company.
Det Supt Donnellan said O'Connor and Knowles reportedly got £200 for each licence that was issued and O'Connor accumulated £11,000 during the period. However, there was no evidence that either was in it for financial gain. In 1997 Det Supt Donnellan received an anonymous phone call alerting him to the incidents.
Warrants were issued to search O'Connor's locker in Kevin Street Garda Station and the homes of both defendants. A sum of £6,400 was found in the locker, while gardai found two applications with cheques of £200 attached at O'Connor's home. They also found 14 licences at Knowles's home.