The Standards in Public Office Commission is to investigate complaints against four public representatives in Wicklow, The Irish Timeshas learned.
The complaints were referred to the commission by the council's Cathaoirleach Joe Behan and county manager Edward Sheehy.
They involve a disagreement over the handling of the sale of council land on the outskirts of Baltinglass in west Wicklow in January this year.
They were made about councillors Vincent Blake (FG), Éamonn Timmins (FG), Deirdre de Búrca (GP) and Billy Timmins TD (FG), and were originally lodged to Wicklow County Council's ethics officer by Ms de Búrca and Edward Timmins.
Ms de Búrca complained that Mr Blake failed to mention his professional involvement as parliamentary assistant with Fine Gael's Billy Timmins when he voted in favour of the disposal of council land at Baltinglass to members of the Timmins family, including the TD.
She also said though Edward Timmins, a brother of Billy Timmins, did declare an interest in the motion to dispose of the land, and left the council chamber before the vote, he did not declare an interest in the land in 2006 on the council register of interests, which members must fill out at the beginning of each year.
She said when Billy Timmins was a councillor, in 2003, he did not declare an interest in the land in question when he made his declaration of interests for the council register.Edward Timmins then complained that Ms de Búrca did not submit any declaration of interest at all for 2005.The ethics officer referred the complaints, as required by legislation, to Mr Behan and Mr Sheehy, who then referred the complaints on to the commission.
It has already requested additional information from the council, including the minutes of meetings in which the issues were discussed.
If it is satisfied that an investigation is required, it may appoint an investigating officer to look into it further and may launch a full investigation, which could include a public hearing.
A spokesman for the commission acknowledged that it had received a number of complaints from the council but could not comment further.
He said that the commission would be meeting but could not confirm whether the Wicklow complaints would be considered then.
Mr Behan said he had serious reservations about taking part in any investigation of complaints against fellow councillors in an election year.
"We agreed that given the unique circumstances, that some of the people complaining or who complaints were made against are running for election, and I am running for election, it would be better to be completely fair and objective and remove the issues from the white heat of a general election," he said.
Mr Blake had told The Irish Times that he believed issues relating to ethics and councillors' votes arose only when the councillor or a relative had a direct beneficial interest in the vote.
Billy Timmins said the land belonged solely to his mother until late 2006 and as such could not have been included either by him or his brother Edward in the most recent register of interests, which was compiled in January 2006.Ms de Búrca said she was unperturbed by the allegation against her.
