I won't quit politics, vows Flynn

Disgraced TD Beverly Cooper-Flynn today vowed to continue in politics despite Fianna Fáil instigating moves to expel her from the party.

Ms Cooper-Flynn’s political career was put in doubt after Dublin’s Supreme Court upheld a High Court judgment that she had encouraged clients of her bank employers to evade paying tax.

The Co Mayo TD said she would fight any moves to expel her from the party.

The daughter of former cabinet minister and European Commissioner Padraig Flynn insisted she would not step down from politics until voted out by the electorate.

“My political career is there because I was selected and elected by the people of Mayo and the only reason that my political career will be brought to an end is if that is the wish of the people of Mayo,” she said.

“They are the people I put myself before and they are the people that I’ve served and I intend to continue to do so, as long as they want me.”

Ms Cooper-Flynn said she had been a member of the Fianna Fáil organisation at all levels for over 20 years and would resist any moves to eject her.

“In all of my time since I have been elected to Dáil Éireann in 1997 I don’t believe that I’ve done anything at all to cause any disrepute to the party in any way,” she said.

“In fact, any of the findings that have been made against me in the court cases related to a time prior to my ever being a member of Dáil Éireann, or indeed a member of Mayo County council, when I was an employee of National Irish Bank.”

A brief Fianna Fáil statement issued last night said the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern would propose a motion to remove the whip from Ms Cooper-Flynn at a meeting of the party next Tuesday.

It also reported that a session of the Fianna Fáil executive would be convened later to decide the terms of a motion for complete dismissal from the party.

The development followed intensive pressure on Mr Ahern to take action against Ms Cooper-Flynn.

The unanimous ruling of the five Supreme Court judges confirmed a previous High Court judgment that Ms Cooper-Flynn had encouraged clients of her bank employers to evade paying tax.

In his ruling, the Lord Chief Justice said Ms Cooper-Flynn had no reputation deserving of legal protection.

The politician said she did not regret proceeding with her libel action despite being left with a legal bill of at least €2.5m following the two court cases.

Ms Cooper-Flynn was expelled from the parliamentary party soon after losing the original High Court action in 2001, but returned some months later to contest the following year’s general election as a Fianna Fáil candidate.

The Supreme Court reaffirmed that Ms Cooper-Flynn’s reputation had not been damaged by RTÉ allegations that she encouraged clients of her National Irish Bank employers to evade the payment of tax.

A report on the bank by High Court inspectors, who have been investigating the company, is due to be published in June, and detail how Ms Cooper-Flynn’s unit in the bank sold insurance policies in a manner that encouraged tax evasion.