A FORMER Dungarvan town councillor who arrived in Ireland for a wedding over the weekend was arrested and appeared in court yesterday on corruption charges.
Fred Forsey jnr (41), a father of three with an address at Coolagh Road in Abbeyside, Dungarvan, appeared at the District Court in Waterford city yesterday faced with a number of charges under the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2001.
Businessman Michael Ryan (58), from Kilgobnet, Cappa, Dungarvan, also appeared in court in relation to corruption charges. Mr Ryan also has an address at the Sweepstakes, Ballsbridge, in Dublin 4.
The charges relate to the alleged exchange of a payment.
Mr Forsey, who previously worked as a driving instructor in Co Waterford, was accompanied by friends and family in court yesterday.
The former councillor was co-opted to Dungarvan Town Council as a Fine Gael representative in 2003, to fill a vacancy that arose as a result of the resignation of John Deasy. He retired from the council some four years later.
The arrests were part of ongoing investigations into alleged planning corruption in the county. Det Sgt Shay Keevans yesterday gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution of Mr Forsey in Dungarvan on Monday and said the accused made no reply when informed of the charges.
Insp Paul Heffernan said yesterday he feared Mr Forsey represented a flight risk as he at present has “no tenancy here”. He told Judge Gerard Haughton Mr Forsey had been in Australia and in the UK, while gardaí had been looking to make contact with him.
Det Sgt Keevans told the court: “Initially contact was made in Australia and he said he would meet us but he went to the UK without contacting us. We contacted him – he had moved to Germany. We got confidential information and arrested him.”
Mr Forsey’s solicitor, Paddy Gordon, said his client had only arrived in Ireland the day before the wedding and “had intended going in” to meet gardaí in Dungarvan shortly thereafter. He said his client had not been in Germany. However, Det Gda Keevans told the court that the accused had been in Germany.
Both men were granted consent to bail on independent sureties of €20,000 with €1,500 in cash to be lodged and were ordered not to contact any witnesses connected to the case and to inform gardaí of any movement outside of the jurisdiction.
Judge Haughton adjourned the matter to a sitting of the District Court in Clonmel next Tuesday.
