A number of employees, possibly 5 in total, within the Irish Prison Service are currently under investigation following allegations that they misused fuel cards registered to State vehicles for their own personal motor vehicles.
It is alleged that approximately some €3,000 worth of fuel was purchased and paid for, using fuel cards property of the Irish Prison Service Escort Corp (PSEC) and correctly used to buy fuel for vehicles independently providing prisoner escorting services.
The Prison Service Escorts Corps (PSEC) was established in 2005, on an independent basis within the Irish Prison Service, to provide a prisoner escorting service. PSEC is sub divided into three regional areas, namely Munster, Connaught and Leinster, headquartered in Cloverhill Prison in Co. Dublin. [Ulster is incorporated into area of Connaught and Leinster.]
PSEC is a dedicated corps of staff, whose task is to escort prisoners to and from court and to other scheduled and necessary engagements in the community. ie. Hospital Appointments. The profile of the unit includes 58 cellular vehicles of varying capacity which enables the corps to securely transport prisoners of all security categories, throughout the State.
The staff also man the dock in courts throughout the country and specialise in providing a highly efficient service as a support to prison operations.
The Department of Justice confirm that they have been made aware of the claims and have organised investigations into the allegations.
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