Different brand of justice for the Oireachtas

RELATIVELY recent events have surely highlighted one thing — the extent to which the Oireachtas has ringfenced itself from the justice and remuneration systems as they apply to the rest of us.

If someone went to the gardaí and made a serious complaint against you or me, the gardaí would begin by interviewing us and take it from there.

However, in the Ivor Callely case, the complaint referred to an “inhouse” alleged offence referring to expenses claims. I do not suggest for one moment that Senator Callely was guilty of anything. After all, the matter was dealt with by a senate committee. (No wonder the people recently voted down a referendum proposal to give investigative powers to Oireachtas committees). It’s worth noting here that when four British MPs, accused of expenses offences, tried to argue that the courts had no jurisdiction and that the matter should be dealt with by a commons committee, the courts told them where to go.

True, there is a law which states that an Oireachtas member found guilty of a criminal offence, even one at the lower end of the scale, forfeits their seat. Trouble is, the only ones who can change the law are Oireachtas members who show no sign of doing so unless we make it an election issue.

Brendan Casserly

Abbeybridge

Waterfall

Cork