PAC hits at Flannery’s ‘bullying’ allegations

The Dáil’s financial watchdog has hit back at claims by former Rehab chief executive Frank Flannery that they are out to “blackguard and bully” him.

Mr Flannery, who stood down as Fine Gael’s chief strategist after it emerged that he was also being paid to lobby ministers on charity issues, has signalled he will continue his tense stand-off with the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee, over whether he will appear before the TDs.

PAC member Simon Harris has warned that the committee will carry out its threat to compel him to give evidence. Mr Harris said some of the senior Rehab staff who did appear before the committee had large gaps in their frame of knowledge and may have been “kept in the dark” about some aspects of the charity’s organisation.

“The reality is that, when we had the board in last Thursday, I felt they were being pretty full and frank, but they did genuinely not know significant information,” said Mr Harris.

“They may have been kept in the dark about some things, so it is important we hear from Mr Flannery and Angela Kerins. Neither has actually said they will not come in — Mr Flannery says he wants to be told what type of things we want to know, but I think we have made that clear.

“Salaries were paid from blended accounts mixing private and public money, so people cannot claim their salaries were only funded by private, not public money.

“Compelling people to attend is a long process, so it would be better if they volunteered to come in.”

Mr Flannery came out fighting as he struck a combative stance as pressure mounted for him to explain his actions to the PAC.

“I am just Frank Flannery, private citizen, who eight years ago was head of a not-for-profit company that happens to do business with the State. Why should I be publicly abused or brought in to be castigated?” the former FG head of election strategy told the Sunday Independent. “As a private citizen, if the Public Accounts Committee wants to talk to you, they’ve got to tell you what they want to talk to you about.

“I don’t have any control over the spending of any public money, good, bad, or indifferent. What do they want to talk about in terms of their agenda, and how is that agenda relevant to their terms of reference as a committee?”

“We are all equal citizens under the Constitution. We cannot and should not be blackguarded, bullied, or demeaned. I am not being unreasonable or recalcitrant. I am not trying to bully anybody. I am just trying to stand up for my decision as a citizen of the Irish Republic and my rights under our Constitution.”