A former TD has been arrested by gardaí on suspicion of social welfare fraud following an investigation by the Department of Social Protection.
The ex-politician was arrested at his home and interviewed by gardaí on Tuesday. He has since been released.
He is accused of claiming the pensions of his deceased parents over a lengthy period of time.
It is understood he is suspected of defrauding the State out of a significant sum of money by failing to report his parents’ death to the Department of Social Welfare and of forging documents to allow him to continue to claim their pensions on a weekly basis.
The politician has not held office for a number of years. His arrest was first reported by The Irish Independent.
“He was detained under the provisions of Section 4 Criminal Justice Act 1984 and has since been released. Investigations are ongoing,” a Garda spokesman said.
The investigation into the alleged fraud is being led by the Department of Social Protection with the assistance of gardaí seconded to its regional social welfare fraud unit.