A MAN HAS appeared in court charged with the theft of €80,000 from the Rotunda Foundation, the dedicated charity that raises money for the Dublin city centre maternity hospital.
Chetan Chauhan, an employee of the foundation working in finance and administration, appeared in court in relation to the charge on 19 May.
The 36-year-old, with an address in Clonee, Dublin 15, was charged with stealing €80,000 from the charity between 1 January and 3 March this year contrary to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001.
He was remanded on bail to appear again at Dublin District Court on 31 July.
The Rotunda Foundation hosts regular events aimed at raising further funds for the hospital, including balls and social events that parents and families who have attended the hospital often support.
Donations are used to purchase medical equipment, support research, and improve the hospital’s facilities.
It has also generated income by hiring out the Pillar Room on the Rotunda’s campus.
The charity was established in 1971 as a company by limited guarantee, with the stated main objective of developing a sustainable funding base for the services provided by the hospital.
It is governed by a voluntary board of directors and is a registered Irish charity.
Its last publicly available audited financial statements are for the financial year ending 31 December 2024.
The accounts show that in that year it had a total of incoming resources through activities, investments and other sources of €504,445. The total funds of the charity stood at €902,084.
The vast majority of the hospital’s funds comes from the State, which injects in excess of €100 million annually.
In response to a query, a spokesperson for An Garda Síochána said that officers “conducted an investigation into a report of theft from a charitable organisation in Co Dublin”.
The charity said in a statement:
“The Rotunda Foundation has engaged with relevant authorities, including An Garda Síochána, in relation to this matter.
“We can confirm that no donated funds have been affected. As an investigation is under way, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”