"Financial Matter" Identified Within The Irish Horse Racing Regulatory Board.

Thursday, 29 June 2023 11:32

The CFO did not appear before the Public Accounts Committee today - the IHRB is headquartered on the Curragh.

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Irish Horse Racing Regulatory Board (IHRB) did not appear before an Oireachtas committee today as it emerged a ‘financial matter’ had been identified at the organisation.

Instead, according to The Irish Independent, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) heard CFO Donal O’Shea was “on a voluntary period of leave since yesterday” and could not come before it.

“I cannot say anything that would prejudice any investigation that might take place, and I recognise that we are funded by the taxpayer,” new Chief Executive of the IHRB, Darragh O’Loughlin said.

He preferred not to answer whether the individual “asked to take leave, or was asked to take leave.”

Gordon Conroy, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, said he had learned yesterday of a matter, “financial in nature, which caused some concern.”

He immediately informed Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue, and a review is to take place “as a matter of urgency,” Mr Conroy said.

"Any relevant disclosures will be made imminently, in no more than days,” Mr O’Loughlin said, adding that he had only discovered the issue at 10.40am on Tuesday this week while preparing for PAC.

Credit: Irish Independent full story here

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