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"This is ugly, this is crap, the system's s*!?e" - Console interim CEO David Hall hits out

The new interim CEO of Console David Hall says there has been a breach of trust at the suicide ch...
Newstalk
Newstalk

09.10 1 Jul 2016


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"This is ugly, this is...

"This is ugly, this is crap, the system's s*!?e" - Console interim CEO David Hall hits out

Newstalk
Newstalk

09.10 1 Jul 2016


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The new interim CEO of Console David Hall says there has been a breach of trust at the suicide charity.

Yesterday, an order was made to restrain the founder of the charity, Paul Kelly - along with his wife Patricia and his sister Joan McKenna - from accessing its funds.

It came after an audit revealed financial irregularities at the national charity.

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Last week, Mr Kelly resigned as CEO following allegations of deception and mismanagement outlined in an RTÉ Investigations Unit programme.

It revealed that, when applying for state grants, the charity on several occasions altered accounts to omit the reference to directors' pay and other benefits.

These amounts totalled €200,000 in the accounts filed by Console for the three years 2010 to 2012.

These payments were not permitted under Revenue requirements for charities.

The charity also claimed as board members people who did not hold those positions in documents submitted to funders.

Yesterday, the court heard that Mr Kelly has continued to hold himself out as CEO.

David Hall has been appointed as interim CEO at the charity.

He says he still has no access to books, records or cheque books at the organisation.

He told Newstalk Breakfast gardaí have since been to the offices of the charity.

"This is ugly, this is crap, the system's shite - the system doesn't work properly," he said.

"Make no mistake about it...after we settle this, multiple people will have multiple things to answer for."

"But yesterday was actually a good day, it was a positive day to give some certainty to the staff and the users and donors - to say what's happened in the past...is not now happening."


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