Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae has reimbursed the Oireachtas for the cost of 3,636 calls made from Leinster House in support of his appearance on a 2007 reality TV show.
Last week, the Kerry South TD said he would pay for €2,639 in premium-rate phone calls that helped him win RTÉ's Celebrities Go Wild contest.
Mr Healy-Rae and his father, Jackie, who was the-then TD for Kerry South, have consistently denied any involvement in making the calls.
An Oireachtas spokesman confirmed today Mr Healy-Rae had paid the €2,639 amount in full. He declined to give any further details.
Mr Healy-Rae, who was a county councillor in 2007, declined to comment on the matter when contacted.
The calls were made over a three-day period between Monday, October 22nd, and Thursday, October 25th, 2007. Phone records showed none of calls were made by Leinster House staff, whose phone usage is logged.
After initially opting not to pay the money, Mr Healy-Rae said last week he had decided to pay for the calls because the matter was distracting from the main issue facing the country, which was the economy.
In a statement, he said: "I’m the only person in Ireland that’s paying for other people’s phone bills." He added: "I’m a good, honest, hard-working politician."
RTÉ said the calls made from Leinster House did not affect the outcome of the competition, as Mr Healy-Rae outpolled his nearest rival by nearly two to one.
Mr Healy-Rae was last week removed from his post at the Citizens' Information Board, an agency that advised the Minister for Social Protection on social policies and services.
However, Mr Healy-Rae's removal was over a routine conflict of interest and was not related to the telephone calls controversy.
