A former Irish Labour Party councillor has become the third person to be charged as a result of an anti-corruption investigation.
Steven Wren, a former member of Dublin City Council, has been charged with four offences including perverting the course of justice and forgery, and appeared before Dublin District Court on Wednesday.
The 50-year-old, of Iveragh Road in Dublin’s Whitehall area, is accused of making a false instrument, a search warrant and information on a date between September and December 2021, which was used in the search of a Dublin apartment that September.
He is also accused of making another false instrument between August and December, 2021, a warrant, for a search of another Dublin apartment in June of that year.
It is also alleged that Mr Wren, a former Peace Commissioner appointed by the Republic’s Department of Justice, twice perverted the course of public justice by signing the warrants.
The court heard Mr Wren made no reply when charged on March 12, and there was no objection to bail.
He was ordered to appear again before the court on May 7.
Mr Wren stood down as a Dublin city councillor in 2013 before leaving the Labour Party that same year.
The investigation by the Garda Anti-Corruption Unit has so far led to the arrest of four officers, who have been suspended from duty.
Two have been charged, with Garda Sergeant Ciaran Whelan appearing at Dublin District Court on Tuesday charged with seven offences including false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice.
Last week saw Garda Mark Duffy charged before the court with offences including burglary and intent to pervert the course of public justice.
Both are due to appear again at the court on May 17.
