In 2020, Crowe Ireland formed a Special Investigations Team to provide specific focus on work for public sector clients that involves matters of public concern, often around governance, the stewardship of public monies, and the effective and safe delivery of public services to citizens.
Our work in this area has often involved our team being called in to investigate sensitive and high profile issues which are in the public domain, and to provide sustainable and practical solutions to resolving these matters.
Our cases
We have been involved in the vast majority of the high-profile cases seen in this country in the last decade, including:
Major governance failings at the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland
The CervicalCheck scandal
A breakdown in financial and governance failings at the Central Remedial Clinic
A review of financial and governance controls at the National College of Art and Design
An investigation into governance, culture, contractor fees and HR issues at RTÉ
An examination of governance issues at the Abbey Theatre
An investigation into breath test and prosecution discrepancies within An Garda Síochána
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An investigation into governance of a strategic partner organisation of the Department of Foreign Affairs
An examination of significant issues related to a protective disclosure within An Garda Síochána
A review of governance and other issues within the Garda adult caution scheme
There is often a common thread within these reviews, which helps our team to build up an understanding of how such situations arise, the level of oversight which may or may not have been applied, and the systemic and human failings which often lead to their perpetuation and deterioration. In this regard, themes which we have frequently observed across such organisations include (in no specific order of priority):
- A lack of curiosity amongst board members to question the actions of the executive;
- Inadequate induction or training for board members and executive staff;
- Groupthink and a lack of general preparedness to challenge the norm;
- A lack of diversity on boards in terms of background, age, gender, experience and other factors;
- Failures within the governance process to properly hold people to account;
- Inadequate secretariat functions including poor minute-taking and recording of decisions;
- Lack of high-quality management information or systems upon which to base decisions;
- Cumbersome reporting structures and vagueness in accountability;
- Undue influence being exerted by one or more powerful individuals to subvert the process of proper governance and accountability.
Governance reviews
All of this experience provides our team with an excellent ability to develop new governance policies, systems and procedures for our clients, rooted in practical knowledge of what works and what doesn’t, and tempered with a fine appreciation of the human side of governance (i.e. by developing policies and procedures which can drive accountability and resist attempts at subversion).
We are routinely commissioned to undertake periodical reviews of the effectiveness of governance arrangements, to help provide confidence in their robustness. We have worked with many clients to conduct such routine governance reviews and to develop fresh policies and procedures, including the following selection:
Our industry experience
The Crowe Special Investigations team is led by Shane McQuillan, Partner and Head of Consulting within our firm, who has played a significant role in all of the investigative assignments and governance projects undertaken by Crowe Ireland within the last decade. Shane is supported by Catherine Rogers (Associate Director, Consulting), who operationally leads the Special Investigations team. Catherine is a Chartered Accountant and former civil servant who has extensive experience in forensic assignments for public sector clients.
Other members of the Special Investigations team have wide experience and qualifications in fields including, but not restricted to, the following:
Data analytics
IT system
Law
Project and programme management
Corporate and executive governance
Compliance with statutory codes
Procurement
Financial management
Property
Taxation
Business cases/economics
Counter fraud investigation
