A vet who practiced in Donegal and was convicted of trafficking a horse sedative in Romania has been allowed to continue working in Ireland.
According to the Sunday Independent, the High Court in recent days failed to strike Valentin Ciobanu off the register.
In 2013, while working as a vet in his native Romania, Mr Ciobanu was given a three-year suspended sentence for supplying ketamine for sale on the black market.
He later moved to Ireland, registering with the Veterinary Council in 2018. However, he failed to disclose his previous conviction.
Mr Ciobanu worked for private veterinary practices in Donegal before becoming the director of a mobile clinic.
Once it came to light, the Veterinary Council believed the previous conviction warranted him being struck off from the practice register.
However, in recent days, the High Court ruled that he cannot be struck off because the legislation does not allow for vets to be summarily struck off for convictions that occurred before they were registered.
