Transparency demanded over 'inconsistencies' in Maria Bailey report

By Fiachra Ó Cionnaith and Juno McEnroe

Culture Minister Josepha Madigan is facing demands to explain the “murkiness” of her role in the Maria Bailey swing case after an independent report confirmed she gave her colleague “initial” legal advice.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has insisted on “transparency” over the “inconsistencies” in the Government’s explanation for what happened — as it emerged Ms Bailey separately “overstated” her injuries in a later legal affidavit overseen by a different solicitor.

In a statement yesterday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar confirmed he has “demoted” Ms Bailey over her now withdrawn 2015 case against Dublin’s Dean Hotel, costing the Fine Gael TD €9,500 a year.

However, Mr Varadkar said he will not suspend Ms Bailey or remove her as an election candidate based on the still-unpublished report, as she has already “endured considerable negative publicity”.

In his statement, Mr Varadkar said the report found:

The Taoiseach also said the report found Ms Madigan “gave initial legal advice” to Ms Bailey and “assisted her with her personal injuries assessment board application” as part of a “preliminary step”, adding that the minister “did not deal with the subsequent legal proceedings” which were overseen by a different solicitor at her family firm.

Mr Varadkar said this means Ms Madigan has no case to answer and that while he has “demoted” Ms Bailey from her Oireachtas committee chair role, he is not taking further action as she has already had ”negative publicity”.

However, despite the conclusions, Mr Martin last night lashed out, insisting there is “murkiness” over Ms Madigan’s role and that “inconsistencies” remain surrounding the explanation of Ms Bailey’s case.

There has been a fair degree of murkiness about that. The degree of Josepha Madigan’s involvement should be fully transparent and should be clarified,” Mr Martin told reporters at the MacGill summer school in Co Donegal.

“I think the minister needs to make a full comprehensive statement. At the moment we’re being told the report says she hadn’t an involvement, but then we’re told she was involved in the initial documentation. What does that mean?

“Did she advise Maria Bailey to take the case? She needs to answer the basic question.”

In her first public comments since her interview on RTE Radio’s Today with Sean O’Rourke, Ms Bailey said last night that while “I regret very much that I took the case”, she believes “I made no attempt to mislead” about what happened.