A former senior Department of Agriculture employee yesterday claimed he conspired with a former Fianna Fáil local election candidate in an elaborate alleged agricultural fraud of almost £200,000, at Sligo Circuit Court.
Robert Patrick Walsh, Rhue, Tubbercurry, Co Sligo, also claimed that a senior Department of Agriculture official, who he named as a Mr Corrigan, helped him mastermind the alleged fraud.
Walsh, a 43-year-old father of four, was giving State evidence in the jury trial of the former Fianna Fáil candidate, Mr Michael Clarke, Lismacbrien, Beltra, Co Sligo, which began yesterday.
Mr Clarke is facing four charges of handling stolen Government cheques to the value of £128,885 and one of conspiring to steal a Government cheque valued at £26,909 on December 17th, 1997. He is denying the charges. The alleged offences occurred between September and December 1997.
At his trial in October, Walsh admitted conspiring to steal a Government cheque to the value of £26,909 on December 17th 1997.
He told yesterday's hearing that the scam, which involved making bogus claims for a dairy hygiene improvement scheme was hatched in conjunction with a Mr Corrigan. "We selected this scheme because it was the most lucrative".
He said he asked Mr Clarke to cash the cheques for him.They agreed on a sum of £20,000 to be paid to Mr Clarke. The case continues today.