The Green Party has confirmed it will lodge a complaint to the Standards in Public Office Commission about Minister of State Frank Fahey as leader Trevor Sargent today stood over calling Mr Fahey "dodgy" in the Dáil last Wednesday.
Mr Sargent told ireland.comthis morning that the party was putting a file together on the Galway West TD. He said the file would be completed and sent to the State's political ethics watchdog "as soon as possible".
Trevor Sargent
"I asked the Taoiseach to take responsibility for the issue and he declined. He abdicated his responsibility and invited me to go to Justice Smith in the Standards in Public Office Commission," Mr Sargent said.
"I would have been happy not to go to the commission if Mr Ahern had done his job," he added.
Under Dáil privilege, Mr Sargent asked the Taoiseach on Wednesday if he intended to "stand idly by while dodgy builders in the Galway tent like Mick and Tom Bailey and dodgy members of Government like the Minister of State, Deputy Fahey, set the real standards for Government under this Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrat Government?"
Minister of State Frank Fahey. Photo: David Sleator
He also asked Mr Ahern what message it sent when "a Minister of State like Deputy Fahey is able to avoid tax in building up a multi-million euro property empire."
Mr Fahey owns, or part-owns, 20 properties in Ireland and seven more outside the State, as well as a half-share in a property company.
Ceann Comhairle Dr Rory O'Hanlon asked Mr Sargent to withdraw his remarks about Mr Fahey after the Dáil session on Wednesday. Mr Sargent said he had no intention of withdrawing them.
"Bertie Ahern wasn't asked to withdraw his remarks about Joe Higgins when he called him a failed person and a nitwit. There's a double standard at work. I stand over my remarks," he told ireland.com.