Opposition to keep up pressure on John O'Donoghue

Opposition politicians are expected to keep the pressure on Justice Minister John O’Donoghue today after his department was implicated in the scandal which led to the resignation of Junior Minister Bobby Molloy yesterday.

Justice Phillip O’Sullivan told reporters yesterday that he received two "improper" phone calls in relation to a rape case, one from an official in the Justice Department and one from a member of Mr Molloy’s staff.

Mr Molloy resigned over the affair yesterday morning, but Mr O’Donoghue has insisted that he will not follow suit. He said the official in his department did not know that the contact he made was related to a criminal case and therefore, the minister said, he did nothing wrong.

The Government has also said the matter is now closed, but the opposition has demanded that the Taoiseach investigate why these civil servants made contact with a judge on behalf of their political masters.