Galway Cllr found guilty of misappropriation
Tuesday, 6 March 2007 22:13
A long serving member of Galway County Council has been found guilty of the misappropriation of council funds and attempted theft at the end of a five day trial in the Circuit Criminal Court in Galway.
Councillor Michael Fahy of Ardrahan had denied seven charges of attempting to obtain ¤7,055 from Galway County Council under false pretences, attempted theft, and false accounting arising from the erection of fencing on his farm in 2002 and 2003.
After an absence of two and half hours, a jury found him guilty of all seven counts.
During the trial, Councillor Fahy said he had a verbal agreement that the fencing was being done in return for ¤14,000 worth of stone he had given the council.
The council engineers deny any such agreement had been made.
The court was told that Councillor Fahy had repaid ¤7,000 to the council and had made a contribution of ¤3,000 to a local charity at the request of a former county manager.
Judge Raymond Groarke suspended sentencing Councillor Fahy until 20 March.
Michael Fahy was first elected as a Fianna Fáil member of Galway County Council in 1979 but resigned from the party in 2004 when he found himself at the centre of the garda investigation into alleged fraud and misappropriation of council funds.
