GMIT investigator is paid €1,500 a day

Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) has left itself wide-open to accusations of “dumbing-down” and “diluting” the report of the independent investigation it commissioned into cheating and possible cover-up at the college, according to a Dáil Deputy.
Colm Keaveney, TD, also believes that GMIT has left itself open to accusations that it is attempting to cover-up a report of the investigation into whether there was a cover-up of a serious incident of plagiarism at the institute.
Deputy Keaveney has also uncovered that one of the investigators who was comissioned to write an investigation report was hired at a fee of “€1,500 per diem [day]”.
“GMIT needs to dispel any suggestion that there is any possibility of a cover-up of a possible cover-up. Its reputation is on the line in that regard,” he said.
The Fianna Fáil Galway East TD made the comments after documents he obtained reveal that one of the two professionals hired to investigate exam cheating and cover-up claims at GMIT dramatically resigned.
Professor Bairbre Redmond of UCD tendered her resignation from the two-person GMIT cheat probe in August last year. But she was subsequently rehired a month later by GMIT President Michael Carmody to write a new report of the cheating investigation, which would be separate to the report originally commissioned as part of the initial joint investigation.
Ms Redmond, according to the correspondence, was re-hired at a rate of almost €190 per hour, and a daily rate of €1,500.
The documentation shows that Mr Carmody was not satisfied with the first report that was submitted to GMIT, which was the product of joint investigative work carried out by the two-person investigation team, including Ms Redmond and Ed Madden. It is understood Mr Madden, a barrister and mediator, did not contribute to the compilation of the second report.
Deputy Keaveney, who described Ms Redmond’s remuneration as “excessive”, has called on GMIT to “come clean” about the investigation, and said both reports must be published.
“Otherwise GMIT is leaving itself open to accusations it is trying to dumb down or dilute the investigation report,” he said.
Deputy Keaveney added: “I am flabbergasted at the documents which show that Ms Redmond was to be rehired at a rate of €187.58 per hour, at a daily rate of no more than €1,500. The investigation has already racked up costs of in excess of €400,000 and there is no end in sight.
“The cost of this investigation has spiralled out of control, and at rates of €187.58 per hour, that is no surprise. I think the students who are struggling to pay third level fees at GMIT, and their parents, will be disgusted that this sort of money is being spent on an investigation that has dragged on for far too long.”
GMIT did not respond yesterday to questions put to it but previously said it would not be commenting on the cheating investigation until all matters were concluded.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.