Councillor sends file on council mica houses to Garda commissioner
Donegal County Council has initiated an external review into the purchase of the houses
Donegal county councillor Frank McBrearty Jnr has sent a file he has compiled on Donegal County Council’s purchase of five mica-affected houses in 2021 in Buncrana to the Garda commissioner.
The independent councillor has also sent the file on the €600,000 acquisition of houses at An Crannla, which comes to more than 170 pages, to council chief executive John McLaughlin.
Donegal County Council has initiated an external review into the purchase of the houses, which was expected to be completed by the end of this month.
Announcing the external review in February, Mr McLaughlin said the council did “not see any evidence of corruption” but will allow others “to have a look at it and go through the detail”.
The purchase of the houses has been questioned by Cllr McBrearty and Inishowen councillor Albert Doherty who have both submitted freedom of information requests about the matter. The acquisition in February last year has been central to Cllr McBrearty’s repeated claims of “systematic corruption” within the council.
In February, the then Cathaoirleach of the council Jack Murray, said he had sent information on allegations of corruption regarding the purchase of the houses that he received from one councillor to gardaí.
In a letter to Garda commissioner Drew Harris accompanying the report, Cllr McBrearty said: “It is the duty of the Garda commissioner and his office to ensure that the case is properly investigated and that no stone is left unturned or ignored.”