A FORMER TD accused of driving under the influence of cocaine has also been charged with driving with no insurance.

Colm Keaveney, with an address at Kilcreevanty, Tuam, Co Galway, appeared before Tuam District Court today. His case has been adjourned until next month.

The 53-year old faces one count of driving with cocaine in his system, and Judge James Faughnan has been told that he is challenging the findings of a blood sample used to prosecute him.

Keaveney is charged with driving a vehicle with cocaine in his system and that the concentration of the drug – known as Benzoylecgonine – in his blood was greater than the legal threshold, contrary to the Road Traffic Act of 2010.

The offence is alleged to have happened on 12 June last year at Cummer in Tuam, Co Galway.

This is the fourth time the matter has come before Tuam District Court this year, having been briefly dealt with at sittings in January, April and June.

Judge Faughnan was told that Keaveney was arrested on Tuesday morning and charged with driving with no insurance, also on 12 June last year at Cummer in Tuam, Co Galway.

Garda Michelle Hallinan told Judge Faughnan that she arrested Keaveney by appointment at 10.03am on Tuesday morning and charged him with driving without insurance.

The former Labour and Fianna Fáil TD was a councillor on Galway County Council for the past five years but did not seek re-election this year.

Keaveney was not in court when the matter briefly came before court in January and April, but was present when the matter came before Tuam District Court in June and this Tuesday. He did not address the court.

His solicitor Gearoid Geraghty said he wanted to raise a number of issues relating to the testing of a blood sample with the Medical Bureau of Road Safety (MBRS).

He said he wished to have an expert from the medical bureau who tested the sample to come before the court and explain their methods.

Geraghty told the court that two blood samples were taken from his client when he was arrested last year. Only one was sent for testing and it was initially tested for alcohol and returned a negative result.

Geraghty said that some days later that sample was tested again for the presence of drugs.

He said if the drugs test was taken from a sample where the seal of the test tube had already been breached then it raised questions about potential contamination as it was not a sealed sample.

Judge Faughnan adjourned the case to a sitting of Tuam District Court on 8 October, when an expert from the medical bureau would be available to give evidence.