A Westmeath garda has sued a coach operator for libel over allegations involving bingo takings at the Killucan Working Men's Club and Community Centre.
Mr Pat O'Connell, counsel for Garda Patsy Daly, Killucan Garda station, told the Circuit Civil Court that Brendan J. McKeogh had set out to ruin Garda Daly in his private and professional life.
He said Garda Daly's claim for €38,000 damages arose from a written complaint Mr McKeogh made to the Garda Commissioner about Mr Daly as chairman of the Killucan club and a member of the Garda.
Mr Eanna Molloy, counsel for Mr McKeogh, said his client was claiming qualified privilege in complaining about an honestly held belief regarding the behaviour of a member of the Garda and would be contending that the confidentiality code for a police informer had been breached by the gardaí.
Mr O'Connell said that on December 28th, 1994, Mr McKeogh wrote to the Commissioner alleging that Garda Daly, as chairman of the club, had not held an annual general meeting in eight years and had been responsible for weekly bingo sessions which had shown a profit of £10 a night. Mr McKeogh's letter stated that since a new committee had taken over, the bingo sessions had been clearing almost £600 a night and believed Garda Daly had to be clearing at least £500 a night over eight years. "We maintain there is £200,000 missing," Mr McKeogh stated.
He added that Garda Daly had refused to hand over account books. He said local people were afraid of him because he was a garda and, because they were afraid to report it, he had taken it upon himself to do so.
Mr O'Connell said the letter claimed Garda Daly had spent £85,000 on improvements to his home and asked the commissioner to appoint a fraud squad team to investigate.
Mr O'Connell said a chief detective superintendent and a team, some from the fraud squad, had been established and had taken a number of statements. The matter had then been passed on to the Garda Complaints Board, which found the complaint vexatious and refused to deal with it.
Garda Daly believed Mr McKeogh had set out to ruin him in the local community and in the Garda.
The case continues today.