A member of the Oireachtas has been arrested and questioned by gardaí about an alleged €150,000 business fraud almost a decade ago.
A file is expected to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in relation to the allegations against the politician.
There are other persons of interest in the case and they have also been under investigation by detectives carrying out the inquiry.
The politician was arrested by arrangement with gardaí on Friday after presenting at a Garda station, accompanied by a solicitor, near their home.
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Gardaí are investigating an alleged fraud at a company where the politician was employed before being elected to the Oireachtas.
It is alleged that the politician signed off on invoices and authorised payments totalling almost €150,000 to another person knowing the invoices were for sums in excess of what was owed.
The alleged fraud came to light during a review of accounts when it was noticed that expenditure on one aspect of the company’s business was apparently far more than it should have been.
Company officers then looked at the documents relating to this expenditure and saw payments had been signed off by the person in question in the course of their work. The payments appeared to be out of sync with other sums paid by the company in the same circumstances.
The politician had left the business before being elected to the Oireachtas.
They were arrested on suspicion of fraud and detained under the provisions of section four of the Criminal Justice Act, which allows gardaí to hold suspects for up to 24 hours before they must charged or released.
The politician is the second person to be arrested and questioned by gardaí about the alleged fraud and deception which is believed to have taken place over four years.
It is understood gardaí will now prepare a file on the matter, which will be forwarded to the DPP to determine whether any charges are to be brought.
In reply to queries from The Irish Times, An Garda Síochána confirmed an arrest had been made on Friday as part of “an ongoing investigation into fraud offences”. It said the arrested person was in custody on Friday afternoon at a Garda station and held under section four of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.
However, the suspect was released on Friday night after evidence gathered in the case had been put to them. The replies to those questions, and those given by the person who was previously arrested, are now expected to inform the inquiry as it continues.
While gardaí are working towards concluding the inquiry, to send a file on the case to the DPP, it is unclear when those stages in the investigation may be reached.
However, sources stressed the investigation was continuing and that no findings have been reached about any aspect of the inquiry to date or about those who were arrested.
