Fine Gael: DPP should deal with Callely affair

THE Ivor Callely expenses affair should be immediately referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions, Fine Gael demanded.

Senator Eugene Regan said the penalties that could be handed down by the Seanad’s watchdog committee were not good enough and urgent action needs to be taken. Mr Regan, Fine Gael’s justice spokesman in the upper house, insisted the Seanad’s members’ interest committee should refer allegations Callely used forged invoices to claim almost €3,000 in expenses for mobile telephone kits directly to the DPP when it considers the issue on Monday.

Mr Regan said the DPP should have been brought in when the watchdog committee found Callely guilty of deliberately misleading officials as to where his prime residence was in order to claim up to €81,000 in travel allowances.

“People are being hauled before the courts every day for social welfare fraud, presumably for lesser amounts than €81,000, yet Senator Callely is given a mere slap on the wrist by comparison and a 20 day suspension from the Seanad. We cannot allow these matters to continue to go unchecked,” he said.

However, Green senator Dan Boyle said the committee would only be able to involve the DPP at the end of an investigation.

Mr Boyle, who sat on the ethics committee when it ruled on Callely’s travel expenses claims, said the senator did not declare all properties referred to at the Seanad hearings to the Oireachtas register of members’ interests. He said this should now be investigated by an outside body.

The call came as Tourism Minister Mary Hanafin admitted the Callely affair was an “embarrassment” for Fianna Fáil.

“I think it’s really important any issues which are outstanding from Ivor Callely, that he would deal with them immediately. The Senate Committee is meeting on Monday so I hope he will address the issues there, that he will provide whatever answers he has,” she said.

Independent senator Rónán Mullen has said the entire system governing political expenses needed to be tightened up.

Mr Callely, who has refused to respond to the allegations, is believed to be at his Dublin home and taking legal advice. But in a rare display of political support, Independent Dublin city councillor Mannix Flynn claimed Mr Callely was being “demonised”.

“The civil servants are the ones in control of this. They should have been doing their jobs. The civil servants at the end of the day are the ones receipting this. Ivor Callely will suffer the consequences and pay the price.

“He’s being demonised,” he said.