Fine Gael asks PAC to summon Liberty Recycling officials

Fine Gael members of the Public Accounts Committee have asked the committee chair to summon the State’s Charities Regulator and the Department of Social Protection. The request comes after Gardaí raided premises used by Liberty Recycling last week. The raids are part of an investigation into alleged money laundering.

The committee’s chair, Sinn Féin TD John Brady, received the request from Fine Gael TD James Geoghegan. Geoghegan sits on the PAC and raised concerns about the charity’s public funding. Liberty Recycling received more than €2 million from the Department of Social Protection in recent years.

Fine Gael members want to know how the department audited that money. They also expressed frustration regarding the Charities Regulator’s oversight. The group believes failures identified during last year’s hearings on the Peter McVerry Trust have not been adequately addressed. The charity was under the watch of the regulator while receiving state funds.

A High Court appointment of provisional liquidators followed the raids. This move leaves the future of 100 trainees and staff uncertain. Liberty Recycling operates a network of sorting depots and shops around the country. The charity is chaired by Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh.

There is no suggestion of personal wrongdoing by Ó Snodaigh, and he is not subject to personal investigation. Fine Gael members intend to propose that Ó Snodaigh and Liberty chief executive Philip Moloney attend the committee. They want their attendance to occur once it no longer interferes with the Garda investigation.

The PAC will discuss the request in private during its next meeting on November 5. The committee will then hold a public discussion on a Comptroller and Auditor General report on the school transport scheme. The private session will determine the next steps for the Liberty Recycling inquiry.