The Workplace Relations Commission found a whistleblowing and penalisation complaint against Dundalk Institute Of Technology was not well founded. The decision, dated 25 February 2022, concerned accountant Gerard Crawley’s claim that he was penalised after raising concerns about the institute’s accounts.
Crawley’s complaint focused on a December 2018 email to the institute’s governing body. The WRC found the email did not disclose information suggesting relevant wrongdoing and was framed as questions. It also found Crawley, a qualified accountant who knew of an earlier independent audit, could not reasonably believe wrongdoing was likely.
The institute denied that the email was a protected disclosure or that it caused any detriment. The WRC found that Crawley had not made a protected disclosure meeting the requirements of the Act, so his complaint of penalisation did not arise. The €812,000 figure concerned an alleged income discrepancy discussed in the case; it was not an award.