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File image of Cork city councillor Kenneth Collins Sinn Féin
Kenneth Collins
Second Sinn Féin politician denies wrongdoing after being questioned over alleged business fraud
Cork city councillor Kenneth Collins attended a pre-arranged appointment with gardai and had denied any wrongdoing, his solicitor Frank Buttimer confirmed.
7.50am, 10 Mar 2025
11.2k
A SECOND SINN Féin politician in Co Cork has denied any wrongdoing after being questioned by gardaí over a complaint of alleged business fraud.
Cork city councillor Kenneth Collins attended a pre-arranged appointment with gardai in early January and had denied any wrongdoing, his solicitor Frank Buttimer confirmed.
The Irish Times reported on Saturday morning that a member of the Oireachtas was arrested in relation to alleged €150,000 business fraud committed over a decade ago.
In a statement on Saturday, gardaí said that a man was arrested and detained in Cork on Friday “as part of an ongoing investigation into fraud offences” and that this man was later released without charge.
A garda spokesperson added that investigations are ongoing.
Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould then confirmed that he was the politician who was arrested.
“I am confident that my position will be vindicated having met with the investigating gardaí where I made a detailed statement,” Gould said on Saturday night.
Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould speaking to media on the Plinth outside Leinster House in January 2022. Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie
Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie
Gould said the complaint relates to his “employment as a logistics manager before I was elected to the Dáil in 2020” and added that he is “entirely innocent and reject the complaint which my former employer has made against me”.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the party had been informed in early February that a complaint had been made against Gould and that Collins, who also worked for the company, was among “a number of other people questioned as part of garda inquiries”.
“They both emphatically deny the allegations. It is now for the Gardaí to continue their investigation into the complaint,” said McDonald.
Yesterday, solicitor Frank Buttimer said that Collins was given an invitation to attend by gardaí.
“He accepted the invitation and he kept the appointment,” said Buttimer.
“He co-operated fully with their inquiry. He denied any allegation of wrongdoing and he was released without being charged.”
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