Laois money goes AWOL

[INDIANA]

Laois money goes missing
23 September 2009


Laois GAA has been left reeling after an auditor's report revealed that EUR42,000 of the county finances are unaccounted for.

Last Monday's night county board meeting in Portlaoise heard the missing money came from three years of unaccounted for ticket sales. Auditor Mark Kirwan examined financial records going back to 2002 and found a gaping EUR42,000 hole in finances up to end of 2004.



The unaccounted for ticket sales were not recorded in the annual accounts of the board and the deficit was written off in 2005 and 2008.

While a Garda investigation has been ruled out, a "shocked" Laois chairman Brian Allen had ordered an internal probe into the mystery shortfall. However, he admitted that it would be difficult to find answers all these years later.

"I was shocked it was written off," he told the Irish Daily Star.

"The biggest problem I had was that it wasn't disclosed to the county convention in 2006 that the money had been written off. There was no mention of a write-off of EUR26,000 that year.

"I was on the executive at the time and I didn't know."

At Monday's meeting, where the Laois county board ironically announced major new sponsorship deals with BW Hire and Gala, former treasurer Tony Walsh admitted that he should have disclosed the shortfall at the time.

Allen claimed that measures have now been put in place to ensure that the situation never arises again.

"People (at the meeting) had questions about the handling of the situation at the time, that we should have had tighter controls basically," he added.

[Canalman]

E42,000 hardly warrants imo a "gaping E42,000 hole" or a "reeling" county. Quiet story day in the papers today??? Over an extended period as welll...... move along folks nothing to see here.

[thebandit]

E42,000 hardly warrants imo a "gaping E42,000 hole" or a "reeling" county. Quiet story day in the papers today??? Over an extended period as welll...... move along folks nothing to see here.

Are you mad?

That is a massive amount of money. That would run any small club for a year.

[Bud Wiser]

Little or Large it doesn't matter, fact is there was a robber operating within a trusted position. I remember a good few years ago there was a story of a lad out at tyhe Mountrath end of O'Moore Park waiting outside for balls to come over the wall from close in frees so he could collect them and he could not believe his luck when a plastic bag with a stone in it landed beside him from inside, with two grand in it.  A small incident this may be but add it to all the other shit that is going on down there and it is a disgrace and an insult to the good men who are trying to run GAA in the county.

Already this year we have had Kingstongate, we have had trouble over Donie Brennan, we had trouble over U21's and Senior panel issues and every other year is the same.  Last week, the best hurler in the county who would get his place on any team, James Young, threw his hurl on the ground in the middle of a game and walked off the pitch and said he would never play hurling again.  The yokel that has robbed the 42,000 has I am sure not donated it to charity so he probably spent it slobbering pints into himself while criticising the good people in Laois GAA to all who would listen.

Move along folks, nothing to see here?  If I had my way these type would be seen hanging by their bollix out of the crossbar in O'Moore Park before the next game played there because that is what they deserve.

[playwiththewind1st]

"However, he admitted that it would be difficult to find answers all these years later".


Since it wasn't that long ago, I'd be wondering why not.

[magpie seanie]

I'd say this kind of thing (especially with tickets) has been widespread over the years. The Gardaí should be brought in to investigate.

[bingobus]

Whatever way you look at it, its criminal. Should be an investigation with treasurer at the time made to answer the questions, it was his watch and his responsibility. If it was paid in under the table payments to individuals, so be it, but the truth needs to be outed.

[orangeman]

A few tickets here, a few there and you'd soon get to € 42,000 over an extended period.

[Canalman]

Bland assumptions being made that this money was stolen/misappropriated.

Maybe, this discrepancy is as a result of bad bookkeeping or lax credit control in distributing tickets to clubs. If memory serves me right, Laois were involved in some massive all ticket games over that period when presumably millions of Euros of tckts changed hands.

As Orangeman rightly pointed out E42,000 of a discrepancy is easily enough reached if the handling of ticketing was lax/disorganized.

P..ses me off that every slieveen bar stool "expert" in Laois (and elsewhere) will slur the many volunteers involved in Laois County Board.

[Bud Wiser]

P..ses me off that every slieveen bar stool "expert" in Laois (and elsewhere) will slur the many volunteers involved in Laois County Board

Can you describe who just one of those type of people are please or where many volunteers were slurred?
Try and be specific, name one of them, even from behind your keyboard.

[Canalman]

Well ok Budwiser........ the type of person I am referring to are present everywhere in Ireland. Smart alecs who are quick to find fault/ criticize and yet do nothing to contribute to their community. The "Grab All Association" brigade who will in their own vision of the world see this story as vindication that "everyone in the GAA is on the take". Same clowns know the Irish Welfare system inside out. A vocal minority.

As for specific names I am choosy about the company I keep so I keep my contact with them to a minimum. Can't give you names therefore but I can assure you they exist.

By the way, how did I offend you "even from behind my (your) computer".

The internal wranglings /disputes in Laois GAA as you have mentioned have nothing to do with this story.

[Zapatista]

Well ok Budwiser........ the type of person I am referring to are present everywhere in Ireland. Smart alecs who are quick to find fault/ criticize and yet do nothing to contribute to their community. The "Grab All Association" brigade who will in their own vision of the world see this story as vindication that "everyone in the GAA is on the take". Same clowns know the Irish Welfare system inside out. A vocal minority.

As for specific names I am choosy about the company I keep so I keep my contact with them to a minimum. Can't give you names therefore but I can assure you they exist.

By the way, how did I offend you "even from behind my (your) computer".

The internal wranglings /disputes in Laois GAA as you have mentioned have nothing to do with this story.

None of this takes away from the fact that it should be investigated. If it isn't it will give the 'type' you mention justification. If it is successfully investigated we would know wether there was or was not wrong doing. The honest GAA folk should have nothing to worry about. If they're all honest then an explanation backed up by an investigation should clear the matter up.

[ziggysego]

I heard it was a dodgy electrican, who used the money to finance his fledging business...

[Bud Wiser]

By the way, how did I offend you "even from behind my (your) computer".

The internal wranglings /disputes in Laois GAA as you have mentioned have nothing to do with this story.

When I started another thread on another forum about all the media attention that was given to NAMA and that it was providing a smoke screen for the perverted Christian Brothers because none of them had been arrested you asked me to change the title of the thread for more or less the same reasons you have now given so forgive me for thinking that your comments were directed at me.

The ones who have found fault and are annoyed with what has happened with the 42,000 are not bar stool sliveen experts either, the ones who are annoyed are the very people you are so eager to protect, people who are still on the county board and want to kinow what happened to the money.   A few years ago I gave my credit card details to Laois County Board for tickets for a Leinster Final and I never got them and my money was taken. I can agree to disagree but 42,000 is a lot of money. 

[heffo]

Bland assumptions being made that this money was stolen/misappropriated.

Maybe, this discrepancy is as a result of bad bookkeeping or lax credit control in distributing tickets to clubs. If memory serves me right, Laois were involved in some massive all ticket games over that period when presumably millions of Euros of tckts changed hands.

As Orangeman rightly pointed out E42,000 of a discrepancy is easily enough reached if the handling of ticketing was lax/disorganized.

P..ses me off that every slieveen bar stool "expert" in Laois (and elsewhere) will slur the many volunteers involved in Laois County Board.

There are too many cases like this cropping up at county and club level.

Tighter controls are needed and Finance committees rather than individual Treasurers 'robbing Peter to pay Paul' (if you'll excuse the pun) - at club level from my experience, there are too many Treasurers with a free hand and too few questions asked.

That's not to tar everyone with the same brush as it's a thankless job, but controls have to be put in place..