A Garda investigation has found that 180 non-EU nationals are operating taxis using fake licences.
According to the Irish Independent, the scam was uncovered after four drivers were found to be operating taxis through fraudulent SPSV licence applications.
Several searches were carried out at residential addresses in Dublin as part of Operation Vantage, a four-year investigation by the Garda National Immigration Bureau.
Addresses in the north inner-city, Lucan and Palmerstown were targetted due to suspicions that false documentation, including SPSV applications, were being produced.
In total, 180 individuals have so far been identified in the operation, which has included officials from the National Transport Authority and the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service.
Fianna Fáil's Transport Spokesperson Robert Troy says the scam exposes a severe weakness in the National Transport Authority's system for processing taxi licences.
“The majority of taxi drivers in Dublin and elsewhere around the country are operating fully in line with all law and regulation, and it’s important to point out that this discovery is not a reflection on their hard work," he said.
"Rather, it exposes a severe weakness in the National Transport Authority’s system for processing taxi licences.
“It’s only reasonable for there to be concerns now for the integrity of the system in place to process taxi licence applications.
That this level of manipulation could have occurred is not only worrying for the public as a whole but for all other taxi drivers that pay a huge amount of money for a legitimate licence.
He thinks Transport Minister Shane Ross has serious questions to answer:
“The Minister with responsibility for the NTA has an obligation to provide clear answers on how this has happened, what's more, how long this illegal practice has been going on and failed to be picked up," he said.
