Oooops! I forgot about that construction company I half-own

edanto

Clerical error leads to TD forgetting about €1m investment

One of the largest property owners in Dail Eireann, Frank Fahey TD, is blaming a ‘clerical error’ for his failure to mention to the Dáil the 50% stake he owns in Sage Construction Ltd. Furthermore, the company owes his wife over €950,000 according to the most recent accounts filed. Neither were declared in the Register of Members interests in 2008 or 2009 and the Clerk of Dail Eireann, Kieran Coughlan, is considering complaints from members of the public alleging that these omissions are breaches of the 1995 Ethics in Public Office Act.

Deputy Fahey has had a history of controversial stories, such as the compensation scheme his department administered where two of his constituents received 75% of the total amount disbursed and one of his last actions as Minister whereby he granted the controversial foreshore license for Shell in Mayo, following in the footsteps of Ray Burke in accommodating the wishes of the oil company.

In response to this latest allegation, the Mail on Sunday reports that Deputy Fahey rushed to have the Register of Interests amended and issued a statement that the whole affair was due to a clerical error. Time will tell if this mistake will be excused or punished.

What’s most frustrating about this episode for me is that his constituents are unlikely to be overly perturbed by this, in the same way that they have not been bothered by other Fahey scandals. I suspect that is so because in this nod and wink politics culture to which Fahey belongs, you actually want the guy to be doing favours for you and as such if he’s doing favours for other people, well that’s just part of politics and you have to accept it because you want the same thing done for you.

And there are probably enough people in his constituency grateful to Deputy Fahey to ensure that he is returned time and time again.

http://www.edanto.com/politics/oooops-i-forgot-about-that-construction-company-i-half-own/

some reference links:
>The initial source of the story, for me – http://thestory.ie/2010/03/22/fahey-fails-to-declare-50-stake-in-construction-firm/

>2009 accounts for Sage Construction Ltd – http://www.scribd.com/doc/28788896/Frank-Fahey-Sage-Construction-Accounts

>A long webpage with many other details about Deputy Fahey – http://www.soldiersofdestiny.org/tdpropertyportfolio.htm

Slideshowbob

easy mistake to make! ;-)

BongoJuice

Frankie boy must be feeling some serious heat at the moment with that mountain of property in his name.

Liam Byrne

At least it didn't take him 15 years to remember it!

Maybe FF are improving after all!

Off to watch the pigs flying past the window

edanto

All it took for him to remember it was a phone call from the Mail on Sunday reporter. I'd say there was some panic when he got that call.

Anyways - if anyone feels like doing something about it, you are free to complain to the Clerk of Dail Eireann (Kieran.Coughlan [at] oireachtas.ie) that Faheys ommission may be a breach of Section 5 of the 1995 Ethics act. The Clerk would then investigate and see if such an allegation is well-founded.

Of course, even if the Clerk was to uphold such an allegation, it's likely that the government would vote to ignore the issue in the same way that they did with the recent Ombudsman report. Only the second Ombudsman report to be vetoed, ever.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0310/1224265979545.html

When the government refused to censure Fahey over the Lost at Sea controversy, the ombudsman stated,

"Unfortunately the model of government set out in the Irish Constitution has become more of a fiction than a reality. In practice, the Dáil is controlled very firmly by the Government parties.

For all practical purposes, parliament in Ireland has been sidelined and is no longer in a position to hold the executive to account."

Buford T Justice

Yet again another shining example of how FF politicians think they can get away with anything.

I can see it now... Hmmm, now where did I put that milllio.. Aaah there it is, silly me

Property Owner eh? Wonder will he come knocking on NAMA's door

ei.sdraob

Slideshowbob wrote: »

easy mistake to make! ;-)

happens to the best of us sure

Fratton Fred

"Only time will tell tell if the error will be excused or punished".

I see it going one of two ways. Either it will miraculously disappear and therefore nothing will be done, or there will be full enquiry, costing the tax payer millions....and then nothing will be done.