A GARDA WHO allegedly used an unmarked patrol car to travel to Dublin Airport to catch a flight on holidays had previously been disciplined by the force but is now being investigated for the taking of the vehicle. 

The garda, based in the south of the country, had been given a Regulation 10 discipline sanction – which is, according to regulations, part of a process involving the “informal resolution of minor breaches”.

He is now under a criminal investigation by the force’s Anti-Corruption Unit.

Last week his house was searched by detectives in an early morning raid as they sought information for a criminal probe. It’s understood he’s being investigated under the Road Traffic Act.

The incident involved the Garda allegedly taking an unmarked car from where he is based to Dublin Airport, where he was catching a flight to go on holidays. 

It’s understood he was not on duty while driving the car.

He parked the car at the airport but it aroused suspicions of airport police along with other security officials and the vehicle was subsequently towed, sources said. 

As it was a Garda car the parking of the vehicle was alerted to gardaí.

Sources have said they believe there were other gardaí in the vehicle when it arrived at Dublin Airport but they have not been disciplined. 

The Journal sent a request for a statement to the Garda Press Office on Friday – but no response has been received.

Follow-up requests for statements in regard to the work of the Anti-Corruption Unit, have been responded to with a “no comment”.

Sources have said that there is a strong focus on the Anti-Corruption Unit getting strong results, as 110 gardaí are currently suspended.

The alleged offences range from domestic violence and sexual offence allegations to incidents associated with the alleged improper cancelling of penalty point tickets. 

Just last week the cabinet heard that an implementation plan for the report of the Garda Síochána Inspectorate entitled “Countering the Threat of Internal Corruption – A review of counter-corruption structures, strategies and processes in the Garda Síochána” has been developed. 

The self-initiated inspection by the Garda Inspectorate was to examine how effectively An Garda Síochána was preventing, detecting and mitigating against the threat of internal corruption.