MEP: Strip disgraced Flynn of his €50k EU pension

It comes as Micheál Martin refused to apologise for attacks on the Mahon Tribunal by members of the former government.

Mr Flynn, who denies the Mahon Tribunal’s finding that he sought and received a bribe, gets the money annually from the European Commission in addition to his annual Dáil pensions of about €87,000.

Nessa Childers MEP has written to the European Commission urging that it enforces its code of conduct to the full “and cut off the EU pension of former Irish commissioner Pádraig Flynn”.

She said: “The former commissioner has disgraced Ireland’s good name in Europe. He should no longer receive his sizeable pension from the European Commission.”

She quotes the commission’s code, which says a former commissioner has a “duty to behave with integrity”, and refers to the EU treaties that say a commissioner may be “deprived of his right to a pension”.

“The rules should also be enforced retroactively,” she said, referring to the fact that Mr Flynn had received the pension for the past eight years.

Mr Flynn was social affairs commissioner when appointed to the commission by FF in 1993. He was re-appointed by the Fine Gael government in 1995 but had to leave early when the entire commission was forced from office.

READ THE FINAL MAHON REPORT HERE

EU sources say it will not be easy to strip Mr Flynn of his pension, since the code of conduct and the treaty refer to the conduct of commissioners while they are serving and when they leave the job.

It relates mainly to the ban on commissioners taking up work as lobbyists or anything that would conflict with their previous role in the commission. It would take the commission or a majority of member states to refer the issue to the European Court of Justice.

The commissioner responsible for such issues, Marcos Sefcovic, is expected to consider the issue fully on receipt of Ms Childers’ letter. His office had no comment to make last night.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin refused to apologise for “sustained and virulent attacks” on the Mahon Tribunal by members of the then-government when Bertie Ahern was before the inquiry.

Asked if he would apologise for what the tribunal said was attempts to collapse its inquiry into Mr Ahern, Mr Martin said it had not set out any specifics or named any individual.

He tried to shift the focus back on Fine Gael, saying it had not distinguished itself in its response to the Moriarty Report last year.