AN OIREACHTAS MEMBER who was arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of fraud is not a member of Fine Gael, party leader Simon Harris has said.

The Irish Times reported today that a member of the Oireachtas was arrested yesterday and questioned by gardaí as part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged €150,000 business fraud almost 10 years ago.

Sources stressed to the newspaper that the investigation is ongoing and no findings have been reached. Separate sources have confirmed the report to The Journal. 

A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána confirmed that a man was arrested in yesterday in connection with the investigation, which remains ongoing. They added that the man was released without charge a short time later.

Asked about the report today, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris said he was satisfied that the person in question was not a member of the Fine Gael parliamentary party. 

“I satisfied myself this morning that that doesn’t pertain to anybody in my own parliamentary party,” he told reporters in Co Galway this morning. “I obviously don’t want to say anything that cuts across an ongoing, active Garda investigation.

“Certainly, it sounds very serious from what I read this morning. But of course, there is an ongoing garda investigation. It’s for the gardaí to perhaps provide further information in relation to this.”

The alleged fraud came to light following a review of accounts belonging to a business that the politician worked for, before they were elected to the Oireachtas, according to The Irish Times.

The audit discovered alleged discrepancies in payment approvals, the paper says.

Additional reporting by Niall O’Connor & Christine Bohan