Ministers praise Mitchell despite tribunal finding

Senior Fine Gael ministers have heaped praise on party colleague Olivia Mitchell despite the Mahon Tribunal finding that she received an “inappropriate” payment.

An internal Fine Gael disciplinary committee announced on Thursday night that Ms Mitchell had been “exonerated of any complaint” and remained “a member of the party in high standing”.

The Fine Gael stance was in contrast to Fianna Fáil, which moved quickly to expel any members against whom the tribunal had made adverse findings.