Hotelier denies ethics breach

A TOP hotelier last night denied he had done anything wrong, after a decision by the Standards in Public Office Commission to refer a report to the DPP arising from a probe into a zoning controversy concerning his family’s property.

Patrick O’Donoghue, managing director of the Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney, and a Fianna Fáil town councillor, was the subject of an ethics investigation along with Killarney mayor Sheila Casey, Fine Gael.

The commission’s report, due out today, follows a probe into alleged breaches of ethics by the two councillors in attempts to rezone lands at the Gleneagle Hotel, owned by Mr O’Donoghue’s family.

It is understood the commission found he may have breached ethics by intentionally seeking to influence a Killarney Town Council decision on rezoning the 20 acres, which include the Brehon Hotel and National Events Centre.

The commission investigated a complaint that he breached the Local Goverment Act’s ethics framework when he attempted to rezone the land. Ms Casey, an employee of the Gleneagle Hotel group, was investigated by the commission but it decided to take no further action against her.

Mr O’Donoghue did not vote on the motion to rezone the Gleneagle complex to town centre status, but Ms Casey voted for it. It has been claimed that he drafted the rezoning motion and approached councillors to support it. Last night he denied seeking to influence councillors.

“I categorically denied this in my sworn evidence to the commission at the hearing on March 26. This evidence was un-contradicted and indeed backed up by the written statements provided to the commission by the other members of the council who clearly stated that I did not seek to influence them and that they were not in fact influenced by any action of mine.”