Gardai on track of rail sleeper scam
Sunday July 12 2009
RAILWAY sleepers worth thousands of euro are alleged to have been stolen from Iarnrod Eireann for sale to builders and garden suppliers in what investigators now believe was an inside job.
Detectives are now trying to trace the used wooden sleepers, which are commonly laced with creosote, a potential carcinogen, to prevent them from rotting when in the ground.
Wooden railway sleepers are popularly used to lay garden beds, as beams, and in fireplaces. But EU law forbids the use of reclaimed sleepers treated with creosote for domestic use, or in buildings, because of the potential health risks.
They must be disposed of as hazardous waste. Iarnrod Eireann has been replacing these wooden sleepers with concrete ones.
Gardai are believed to have stepped up the investigation into the alleged theft during recent months by contacting builders suppliers and gardening businesses across the country to try to trace the sleepers.
The alleged scam came to light during the course of routine reviews last year, when “issues arose relating to the unauthorised sale of redundant sleepers”, and an investigation has now been under way for some time.
“We are endeavouring to establish the whereabouts of the sleepers in the course of the investigation, as this is company property. It is likely, however, that they have been re-sold and are dispersed in very small quantities,” the spokesman said.
“Iarnrod Eireann has an estimate of the number of sleepers involved, which is confidential to the investigation. It is a very small percentage of the overall number of redundant sleepers.”
The investigation is one of several under way at the State rail company, which has been beset by internal problems such as bullying claims and allegations of misappropriation of company resources.
The garda fraud unit is investigating alleged financial irregularities involving bogus invoices that sources said could cost the company as much as €1m.
The allegations are believed to centre on claims submitted for work that was not carried out.
The CIE Group, which oversees the rail and bus services, has found itself under financial pressure since its budget was cut by €10m. The group’s annual Government subvention was cut to €303m from €313m and is reportedly considering selling assets and increasing passenger fares in order to make up the funding deficit.
Spending within the organisation, including wage bills, overtime and bonuses to staff, are being reviewed.
