Former Inland Fisheries Ireland chief claims he was threatened by board chair after suspending his brother – The Irish Times

A former State agency chief executive has claimed he was threatened by the chairman of his board after he suspended the man’s brother as part of an investigation into alleged misuse of an official fuel card and a vehicle owned by the organisation.

Francis O’Donell told the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) on Tuesday the then chairman of Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), identified as Fintan Gorman, had indicated he would make information about him public unless he dealt with the suspension of his brother in February 2022.

This followed allegations that the chairman’s brother, an employee of IFI, had held a tractor owned by the agency at his home for between 18 and 20 years and was using the fuel card associated with the vehicle.

The IFI employee who was suspended, identified as Pat Gorman, told the WRC in separate proceedings in 2023 that he and his family had been destroyed by false rumours.

O’Donnell said that after he suspended the chairman’s brother, he was excluded from a board meeting that considered a number of internal governance issues and that details from this closed session Were leaked and widely circulated to politicians and senior officials.

He said he was also the subject of an anonymous complaint that he had used IFI staff to transfer a boat he had bought from the organisation to his own home. O’Donnell said IFI management later confirmed he had never purchased any vessel from the agency.

The hearing was told that O’Donnell submitted a protected disclosure to then minister for the environment Eamon Ryan in April 2023, in which he alleged he was being undermined by the chairman.

He contended the leaking of the governance issues considered by the board was “as a reprisal” for having allegations against the chairman’s brother investigated by a third party.

O’Donnell said he was appointed to his “dream job” as IFI chief executive in 2020, but that it had turned into “an absolute nightmare” after two years when he opened the investigation into allegations made against the chairman’s brother.

IFI is a State organisation with responsibility to protect, manage and conserve Ireland’s inland fisheries and sea angling resources.

O’Donnell claims he was unfairly dismissed by IFI and was penalised after making protected disclosures under whistleblower legislation.