Leech worked for Cullen’s 2002 election campaign

TRANSPORT Minister Martin Cullen employed his PR adviser, Monica Leech, to work on publicity for his 2002 general election campaign.

Leech worked for Cullen’s 2002 election campaign

Just weeks after the election, Ms Leech was appointed a communications adviser by Mr Cullen on a contract worth €1,200 a day.

Monica Leech Communications is listed in Mr Cullen’s election expenses for ‘publicity’ work, yet was paid just €242.

Mr Cullen made no mention of Ms Leech’s professional involvement in his general election campaign last week when outlining his knowledge of her previous communications experience with companies and public bodies.

The minister denied Ms Leech was his election campaign manager and said she was merely one of his supporters in Waterford.

“She was part of a small voluntary group, like all politicians have, that assist from time to time in trying to raise funds legitimately for politicians, in terms of running offices, running information campaigns with the public, etc,” he said last week.

Yet the payment of €242 detailed in Mr Cullen’s official declaration of expenditure in the 2002 general election lodged with the Standards in Public Offices Commission clearly shows that Ms Leech’s company was hired on a professional basis in the election campaign itself.

‘Publicity’ expenditure in elections is specifically defined as expenses on party political broadcasts, press conferences, dealing with the media, media advice, training and photography.

Immediately after becoming Minister for the Environment, following the election, Mr Cullen recommended that Ms Leech be appointed as a consultant to his department.

The initial contract was awarded to Ms Leech on a single tender basis in July 2003 and then extended in February 2003 following a full tendering process.

Since then Ms Leech has been paid over €300,000 by the Department of the Environment and her contract continues until next February.

Between December 2001 and July 2003, Ms Leech was paid almost €43,000 by the Office of Public Works, after being appointed to projects by the minister during his time in that department.

The controversial awarding of the €11,200 a month contract to Ms Leech is to be questioned this week by Fine Gael and will also be probed in the coming months by the Dáil Public Accounts Committee.

Ms Leech’s status within the department was highlighted earlier this year when it was revealed she sat on the interview panel responsible for awarding the controversial €4.7 million electronic voting publicity contract to a company described as so-called “friends of Fianna Fáil”.

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