Courts / Donegal / Report
Ex-IFI CEO says he was left on brink of suicide after alleged political interference with internal probe
Summary
The former CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), Francis O'Donnell, has told a tribunal that he contemplated suicide after his bosses allegedly pressured him to quit following damaging media leaks and political interference in an internal investigation. O'Donnell described the period as 'very dark and very, very hard' and said he was subjected to harassment and untrue allegations. He claimed that political actors at a high level interfered in the process, and that he was blackmailed by a sitting senator. O'Donnell suspended a senior employee pending an investigation and reported concerns to gardaí twice in 2022. An independent investigation by RSM cleared him of allegations, but he said the report failed to examine evidence he provided. O'Donnell met with ministerial appointees in 2024, during which he was told the protected disclosure matter needed to be 'bottomed out' before a pay increment could be considered. He felt isolated and described being cast as a 'troublemaker'. O'Donnell reported his mental state to IFI occupational health, but felt the organisation was 'extremely negligent'.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Ex-IFI CEO says he was left on brink of suicide after alleged political interference with internal probe. Procedural stage: trial
When:
- June 2025 Other
- February 2024 Other
- January 2024 Other
- 14 February 2024 Other
- 1 March Other
- January 2025 Other
- 2026-07-01 Publication
Why: "Within days of that, I did have a mental breakdown at home… If I need to talk about it, it's very, very difficult, because at that point I felt absolutely on my own and couldn't even articulate to people the frustration and anger that I felt about where the whole thing had come to. CNI source report
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