Expense ruling may mean prosecutions

YESTERDAY’s Supreme Court decision on election expenses could not only lead to legal challenges to the election of certain candidates, but also to prosecution of Dáil deputies for exceeding campaign spending limits.

The five-judge Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the State against a High Court finding on May 16 last - the day before the General Election - that parts of the 1997 Electoral Act are unconstitutional.

It was claimed the Act exempted a range of services provided free to outgoing TDs, senators and MEPS from the calculation of election expenses. The High Court ruled the provisions are unconstitutional because they create inequality between outgoing politicians and new candidates.