Seanad officials to fast-track Callely probe

SEANAD watchdogs are to fast-track their probe into the forgery allegations engulfing Ivor Callely.

The members’ interests committee of the upper house decided to bring its inquiry forward by three weeks to next Monday as Seanad officials considered their response to requests from Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy for information regarding the Callely affair.

The move came as Seanad colleagues demanded a new impeachment system so that any senator found to be unsuitable to sit in the upper house could be removed quickly.

And as Mr Callely continued to ignore pleas from ministers to explain himself, calls emerged for the senator to forgo his full Oireachtas pay-off if he does quit.

As well as looking into allegations that Mr Callely forged invoices in order to claim almost €3,000 for mobile phone kits when he was a junior minister, the Seanad committee will also consider the situation of two other senators, Larry Butler, who resigned the Fianna Fáil whip, and Ann Ormonde, both of whom face questions over travel claims.

Dan Boyle, who served on the members’ interests committee when it suspended Mr Callely from the Seanad for 20 days for deliberately misleading the Oireachtas to claim up to €81,000 in travel allowances, has absented himself from the body as he has publicly called for the senator to resign over the forgery allegations.

However, Mr Boyle called for a new fast-track impeachment system so that senators found to be unfit to serve could be removed from the upper house.

“It would take a constitutional amendment, but I think we need an impeachment system whereby a senator could be removed if 75% or 80% of the Seanad vote to do so,” he said.

Fine Gael senator Eugene Regan said it would not be acceptable for Mr Callely to walk away from the Seanad with a “golden goodbye” if he did decide to quit.

Under Oireachtas rules, Mr Callely, who served 18 years as a TD before being appointed to the Seanad in 2007, would be entitled to a severance package believed to be worth around €160,000, plus an annual pension of just under €60,000.

“I think that people would find it unacceptable that he could walk away into the sunset with a handsome pension,” Mr Regan said.

Minister Conor Lenihan again called on Mr Callely to break his silence.

“The whole controversy involving this particular expenses claim is doing huge and untold damage to politics in this country,” he said.

Requests from the Garda Commissioner for information on the Callely affair will be dealt with speedily, Seanad officials said.