Four police investigations into RHI claimants – but hundreds of boilers still not even inspected

Economy Minister Diane Dodds revealed the ongoing PSNI investigations in response to a written Assembly question from the TUV leader, Jim Allister.

However, she also confirmed that no prosecutions have yet been brought against anyone involved in RHI.

The Department for the Economy told the News Letter that RHI payments – which in recent years have been slashed to a fraction of what they once were – for 27 installations have been revoked after major problems were identified during inspections.

The department said that it had sought repayment from 51 boiler owners – after that was deemed appropriate by Ofgem, which administers the scheme for Stormont.

In 22 of those cases it said that past RHI payments “are being recouped via offsetting of ongoing payments to live accreditations”. It is not clear whether repayment will be secured from the other 29 claimants.

The department also admitted that it has still only inspected 65% of the just over 2,000 biomass boilers and that every boiler may not be inspected until next March.

Initially all boilers were to have been inspected two and a half years ago. Nine months ago the department said that about 50% of boilers had been inspected, suggesting a slow pace since then.

The department has previously defended its slowness to complete inspections, arguing that it has carried out detailed analysis of each site to determine those most likely to be fraudulent and inspected those first, meaning that those still to be inspected are considered lower risk.

However, the length of time which Stormont took to even begin its programme of inspections may have fatally undermined their usefulness in proving fraud if that was taking place at a site.

A key element of the plan was that many of the inspections would be “unannounced”. However, Stormont announced the fact of the inspections very publicly and then delayed before moving out to check individual sites, meaning that only the most obtuse fraudsters – or those unable to cover their tracks – are now liable to get caught.

Among those pressing for speedier inspections are several bona fide RHI claimants who believe that the failure to root out those believed to have been unlawfully fleecing the taxpayer means that all claimants are now tarred with that reputation – even thought some of them had exceptionally modest claims, running boilers for less than 10% of the year.

Mr Allister said: “Given the scale of the RHI scheme and reports of multiple abuse, it is somewhat surprising that only four cases are under police investigation.

“It is not clear if these investigations predate the publication of the RHI Inquiry report. I have written separately to the Chief Constable enquiring how many investigations are underway arising from the findings of Sir Patrick Coghlin.

“Given some of those findings, suggesting at the least misfeasance in public office, I’d expect the report to have sparked police interest and action.”

It is not the first time that the PSNI has investigated RHI claimants. In late 2016, just before cash for ash became a vast political crisis which toppled Stormont, the police began an investigation into Stephen Brimstone, then a special adviser to Arlene Foster.

However, the RHI Inquiry found that the police investigation had been cursory before it was closed. Ultimately the inquiry conducted its own detailed investigation into how he was heating his own home with a non-domestic boiler and found that it was lawful.

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