Console alleged charity scandal shatters Irish public perceptions

By Maurice Garvey

THE public perception of how Irish charities operate has taken another major hit with the allegations that Paul Kelly, and his wife and son, utilised Console as a personal trust fund.

Questions still have to be answered as to how Kelly – originally from Ballyfermot – was able to carry out the alleged deception for so long.

Tommy Morris, a lecturer in Inchicore College of Further Education, brought the matter to the attention of the Department of Health in 2013.

David Hall, an external examiner, appointed alongside Tom Murray to look into the finances and governances at Console, has said that the alleged malpractice highlighted by the RTÉ Investigations Unit is now under control and will never happen again.

He said it was imperative for clients and staff that this is dealt with properly, that they are engaging with the charity regulator.

Speaking on Liveline, Mr Hall said the 12 staff are “traumatised” and that most counsellors are contractors who work for a reduced rate.

Members of the public will wonder why we are here again, after previous controversies involving the Central Remedial Clinic and Rehab.

The RTÉ Prime Time investigation found that Kelly and two family members allegedly benefitted by almost €500,000 in salaries and cars over three years, and that the family allegedly spent thousands of euro of Console money on designer clothes, restaurants and holidays.

Between them, Paul, wife Patricia and Tim Kelly allegedly used 11 credit cards over a three-year period – two of which allegedly bore the name of an employee who left the organisation six years ago.

The report allegedly claimed that the largest expenditure item of the credit cards were cash withdrawals of €87,027.

Of these, Paul Kelly allegedly withdrew €66,296 – RTÉ investigations claimed there was no documentation to identify how these sums were used.

Over €70,000 was spent on credit cards on foreign travel to Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Spain, France and London.

The HSE began an audit of Console in 2015, and revelations from RTÉ came to light last week surrounding the finances.
The HSE was chief funder to Console, providing €2.5 million to the organisation over the recent years.

The Prime Time report claimed Kelly has a “history when it comes to misrepresentation and deception”, including that he once pretended to be a doctor and got a job in the Royal Hospital, Dublin in the early 1980s.

Mr Morris, who has known Paul Kelly since the early 1980s, told Joe Duffy that it “took nerve for Kelly to pretend to be a doctor”

“Seven years later, he is back from Australia, and suddenly he is smitten by trauma for his sister Sharon, whom I knew personally,” said Morris.

Ivan Cooper of the Wheel, which represents 1,350 charities, said this must ensure charities are “run as public not private companies”, citing €7 billion of spending on services by 11,000 organisations.

“This needs regulation and accounts must be published online,” said Mr Cooper.

Paul Kelly has not yet furnished a signed copy of his resignation, leading to concerns over whether Kelly continues to control the organisation’s bank accounts and a number of credit cards.

External reviewers are considering where protection of the High Court is required to protect the charity.