Ex-Minister for Justice to be sentenced for false expenses

Former Junior Minister Ivor Callely is due to be sentenced today for making a false mobile phone expenses claim.

The maximum penalty is ten years in prison.

The 56-year-old of St Lawrence's Road, Clontarf, will appear before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today.

The former Fianna Fáil junior minister and senator entered a plea of guilty last March weeks before he had been due to stand trial on six charges.

The allegations were that he used invoices as false instruments to receive expenses for handsets and equipment, under an Oireachtas mobile phone scheme.

When arraigned he admitted using a Business Communication Limited Invoice dated January 2002 as a false instrument in 2007 at Leinster House.

Today's sentencing hearing before Judge Mary Ellen Ring is expected to take about 40 minutes.