Revealed: The explosive transactions ripping doctors’ group apart

Visits to casinos, cash extractions on the company credit card and ‘unvouched’ expenses are amongthe findings that resulted in mass resignations from Ireland’s largest GP body. These disclosures are contained in reports that are revealed for the first time in this newspaper.

Former council members of the National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP), which has 2,000 GP members, said they were preparing complaints to the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) over what has emerged about the chief executive Chris Goodey’s spending and the company’s finances.

The reports into the NAGP contain a litany of transactions that stunned members of its council, who have since resigned. Among the items revealed were:

- Net transfers totalling €114,000 that were transferred to the chief executive’s personal bank account, separate to payroll;

- Some €50,992 (included in the above sum) in monthly expense claims that were not supported by invoices, according to the auditors;

- Expenses charged to the company credit card of €54,502, with €8,881 of that in ATM cash withdrawals for ‘public relations’;

- Money was withdrawn in casinos and nightclubs

Goodey, who spoke with this newspaper on Friday, said he did not dispute the sums of money outlined, but contested the claim that receipts and invoices had not been provided.

He claimed he had repaid money he withdrew and that it only occurred in one casino.

When asked about the €8,881 withdrawn for ‘public relations’ Goodey said: “I’m not going to go into specifics. It’s a very small amount of money.”

Goodey said former council members had signed confidentiality agreements and threatened to sue those who breached the agreement.

Two reports probing the finances at the NAGP concluded that the organisation was at risk of Revenue taking action against the company.

In their report dated October 2018, the auditors said: “We consider the internal control environment of the company to be weak based on our observations during the audit process. There appears to be limited segregation of duties, no evidence of formal review of expenses and no reconciliation performed over any balances.”

The national council of the NAGP brought in businessman Chay Bowes to review the books and records in recent weeks. They said Bowes was asked to examine financial governance at the NAGP after they were unable to get satisfactory answers to the questions they had.

Bowes prepared an observational report that was shared with council members prior to their resignations last weekend. It also outlined unvouched cash withdrawals and a lack of vouching expenses. Bowes advised the council to wind up the indebted company warning that it was trading insolvent.

Goodey resigned from the NAGP in recent weeks, but was reinstated last weekend by the directors. “I can absolutely, categorically, say I’ve never done anything wrong in that company,” Goodey said.