A Donegal county councillor has appeared before the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) in relation to expense claims made by him in 2008.
Fine Gael’s Terence Slowey admitted at a hearing in Dublin today that he had filed a double claim during the period but claimed he had done so “in error” and had paid a “huge price politically” for it.
Cllr Slowey was alleged to have made four contraventions of Local Government Act 2001.
The case related to claims made by Cllr Slowey for attending two conferences in Co Kerry and Co Cork between October 16th and October 18th in 2008.
Diarmuid McGuinness SC for Sipo said Cllr Slowey attended a three-day conference on local authority finance in the Plaza Hotel Killarney on the dates in question.
However, he said Cllr Slowey also attended a half-day Border Regional Authority conference at the Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa hotel outside Clonakilty, Co Cork on October 17th.
Mr McGuinness said Cllr Slowey claimed for travel expenses to and from Co Donegal for both conferences but had failed to attend the Co Kerry conference in full.
Cllr Slowey gained over €2,400 in travel, subsistence and expenses from Donegal County Council and the Border Regional Authority for attending both conferences.
Richard Lyons SC, representing Cllr Slowey, said the councillor had accepted the four contraventions and paid back the expenses in full.
In evidence, Cllr Slowey said it was "ironic" the Co Kerry conference was entitled Local Authority Finances - A Crisis Brewing? as "it certainly ended up a crisis" for him.
While Cllr Slowey acknowledged separate claims were submitted, he said he did not have any recollection of filling out the forms. He said the day he submitted the claims was “very busy and full of meetings”.
He said he did not consciously break the rules but did so “in error”.
Cllr Slowey also told the commission that he had suffered a loss of prestige and had paid a "huge price politically" as a result of media interest in the case.
He said he had missed out on being selected to run for Fine Gael in both the recent general Seanad elections with the hearing hanging over him.
Commission Chairman Justice MP Smyth said the board would report its findings in three to four weeks.
