VHI employee made fraudulent claims of €2,239
Carlow Court House. Photo: Michael O'Rourke
A FORMER VHI employee who used his “intimate knowledge of internal procedures” to make fraudulent claims under his employer’s subsidised health policy did so after he was not paid his final salary, Carlow District Court has heard.
Aidan Hynes (29) appeared before Judge Geraldine Carthy in relation to fraudulent claims made on dates between 12 and 28 November 2024.
The court heard that the claims resulted in a loss of €2,239 to the service provider.
The fraud came to light following an internal audit when the claim surfaced as the third highest claim value across the company.
Further investigation uncovered significant anomalies and the court heard that documents had been doctored and that the defendant “possessed intimate knowledge of internal procedures and used this knowledge to make the fraudulent claims” regarding visits to/treatment from a GP and an orthopaedic consultant.
In mitigation, solicitor Chris Hogan said: “My client was an employee of VHI, he was there for five years. He had a falling out with his employer over a promotion he felt he should have got.
“When he left his job, he wasn’t paid his last salary of around €2,700 and he felt they were unlawfully withholding it,” Mr Hogan explained.
He said Mr Hynes, who had a young daughter at the time, was “under financial pressure” and “saw this opportunity to be able to provide for his family over the Christmas period”.
Mr Hogan said his client was “caught very quickly and made admissions very quickly,” adding: “He wasn’t in a great place at the time.” The court heard that the defendant had suffered a very significant knee injury which ended his ambitions of playing soccer in Scotland and that he suffered from depression as a result.
He has since changed career and is now an apprentice electrician but following another injury he is currently out of work again.
Mr Hynes of Ballyellen, Goresbridge, Co Kilkenny had €750 in court and said he would pay the balance if given a number of months to do so. He has no previous convictions.
Judge Carthy ordered a probation report so that the matter could be finalised by early December.
“Ask him to gather as much as he can,” she told Mr Hogan in relation to compensation.
