Lowry to avoid jail sentence

FORMER Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry will avoid a jail sentence despite engaging in tax evasion.

The Independent TD said yesterday he had received notification from the DPP that he would not face charges.

In addition, Mr Lowry said he had reached a financial agreement with the Revenue Commissioners and repaid approximately €1.5 million in outstanding tax and penalties.

“The paperwork on that is being presently concluded but I have paid what monies were outstanding,” Mr Lowry told TV3’s The Political Party programme.

The McCracken Tribunal found that Dunnes Stores had paid approximately £395,000 for refurbishment work on Mr Lowry’s house, a method of payment which “must have been made with a view to assisting him to evade tax”.

In relation to the possibility of a prison sentence, Mr Lowry said: “The media have been regularly commenting on the fact that I would go to jail (and), those in competition with me in my constituency have been telling people not to vote for me because I may not conclude my term in the Dáil.

“But for me, probably the biggest relief that I have had over the past 10 years was the formal decision from the DPP’s office that no charges could be sustained against me.”

Mr Lowry added: “Those dark days are over and I can tell you they were very stressful, very difficult and consumed a lot of my time and my energy. I am very pleased and relieved that I now have concluded matters with the Revenue.’’