GARDAÍ BELIEVE THEY have identified the person in possession of a large quantity of gold reserves alleged to have been taken from the National Party.

Sources said investigators are carrying out enquiries and are attempting to establish who is the rightful owner of the gold but that at present they believe that no crime has been committed.

Gardaí earlier said they were making enquiries into allegations of a theft from a premises in Dublin, after a senior figure in the National Party claimed a large quantity of gold was stolen.

In a statement, National Party leader Justin Barrett claimed that a “considerable quantity in gold” had been removed from the party’s vault in Dublin.

He claimed that the gold “formed the main part of the Partys [sic] Reserves in the event of a mishap in general, or more particularly a collapse in the value of fiat currency”.

Fiat currency is money issued by a government.

It is believed that gardaí have now located the gold in question.

A Garda spokesperson said the force does not comment on third party statements or on named individuals.

The spokesperson also said gardaí were “carrying out enquiries into an allegation of theft from a premises in Dublin 4″.

The National Party is a registered political party. It has no elected TDs or senators.

With reporting from Niall O’Connor