FORMER FIANNA Fáil Senator Ivor Callely has submitted a response to a complaint about his mobile phone expenses to a Seanad investigating committee.
The Seanad Committee on Members’ Interests is investigating a complaint against Mr Callely that €3,000 in mobile phone expenses were claimed with receipts from a company that had been defunct for more than a decade.
Mr Callely yesterday met the deadline for submitting a response in writing to the clerk of the committee. The committee is also investigating a further complaint against Mr Callely relating to his Declaration of Members’ Interests. The complaint is an allegation that Mr Callely did not disclose all the properties owned or co-owned by him in an official declaration. He is required to respond, again in writing, to this complaint by September 21st.
Mr Callely’s High Court bid to quash a finding that he misrepresented his place of residence for the purposes of claiming expenses was this week adjourned until October. The committee had investigated why he claimed for the 370km journey between Leinster House and a property in Kilcrohane, west Cork, instead of from a property in Clontarf, Dublin, over a two-year period.
In July the committee produced a report that said Mr Callely should be suspended from the service of the Seanad for 20 days and have his salary withheld. Mr Callely’s senior counsel, Michael O’Higgins, told the High Court on Tuesday his client had “literally not had a day’s peace” since then.
The Seanad investigating committee may meet next week to examine the current status of its inquiry. The committee is chaired by Seanad Cathaoirleach Pat Moylan. Its other members are Dan Boyle (Green Party), Fine Gael leader in the Seanad Frances Fitzgerald, Senators Camillus Glynn and Denis O’Donovan (Fianna Fáil), Alex White (Labour) and Joe O’Toole (Ind).
Mr Boyle removed himself from the committee because he had made adverse public comments about Mr Callely and will be replaced by fellow Green Party Senator Mark Deary.
Callely: not registered for trip
A spokesman for the parliamentary assembly of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said yesterday it had not received correspondence from the Irish authorities to say Senator Ivor Callely was no longer entitled to be a delegate.
Mr Callely, who resigned from Fianna Fáil last month, was re-elected vice-chair of the assembly’s committee in July. This took place three weeks after Government Chief Whip John Curran wrote to the Oireachtas saying Mr Callely was being “discharged” from the Irish delegation.
The conference is due to take place in Palermo, Sicily, in October.
MARY FITZGERALD
