Galway Bay fm newsroom - A consultant hired by Supermac's has been disciplined after orchestrating a fake letter campaign in support of a planned motorway plaza.
The matter came to light when Clare Co. Council sent acknowledgement letters to the authors - many of whom knew nothing about the letters and said their signatures had been forged.
Supermac's says it had no knowledge of the matter - and that it utterly condemns and disowns such action.
Supermac’s founder, Galway businessman, Pat McDonagh is hoping to build a new Obama-style plaza along the M18 Galway to Limerick motorway outside Ennis.
The ongoing project became embroiled in controversy last year after details emerged of fake submissions using forged signatures, which voiced support for the development.
At that time, Supermacs said it had no knowledge of the matter and was 'shocked' by the claims - and that it utterly condemns and disowns such support for its planned plaza.
It's understood at least one submission was made using the signature of a man who had been dead for a number of years.
According to the Sunday Business Post, Howard Williams, managing director of Inis Environmental Consultants, has now been found to have 'demonstrated a lapse of judgement in not managing a conflict of interest appropriately'.
The Charted Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management also found that he breached his professional code of conduct when he 'failed to meet the required good practice standard, in bat survey and reporting'.
Another Inis employee, Chris Cullen, was also found to have breached his professional code of conduct and was also reprimanded.
