Ivor Callelly wins €17,000 damages

outandabout

The High Court has ordered that Senator Ivor Callely be paid almost €17,000 for loss of earnings during his 20-day suspension from the Seanad last year.


RTE.ie reported that The senator was present in the High Court for the first time since he successfully challenged the decision by the Seanad Committee on Members' Interests. He was also awarded costs.

The High Court found his right to fair procedures and natural justice had been breached.

LeixlipRed

The cheek of him is all I can say, if I posted what I really thought I'd be banned.

martic

LeixlipRed wrote: »

The cheek of him is all I can say, if I posted what I really thought I'd be banned.

And by reading the OP a chance of being sued too by Ivor. With the bankers getting bonuses for their good performance and now Ivor looking for more money I think it would be in my own interest to stop logging into the politics forum and reading anymore news papers until after the election as it can't be good for blood pressure:mad:

gandalf

Ah the behaviour of a man trained in FF school of public service.

Shameful. Then again come Tuesday he is out of a job with little or no chance of holding office again.

petroltimer

this country just hits new lows everyday:mad:

Raging_Ninja

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0131/callelyi.html

He's just been awarded €17000 in damages.

I am NOT defending Callely, but:

This is what happens when there's a witch hunt. If the whole thing had been done properly, this wouldn't have happened. But the public and media wanted to hang him asap, and so they got their public spectacle.

The whole thing was botched and has now become a farce. This should have been done professionally and in due course with a full investigation (read: 'these things take a fair bit of time'), but the public didn't want that and so they went off half-cocked and now he has to be given damages out the taxpayer's pocket.

GSF

scandalous & revolting :mad:

Mr.Micro

It would not be half enough for the greedy vain excuse for a person. Who gives a s*it about him, he can fool himself but we all know what he got away with.

iamwhoiam

Absolutely jaw dropping discusting . A cheat gets paid to cheat and the rest of us can suffer .I cant believe this country .

ISAW

gandalf wrote: »

Ah the behaviour of a man trained in FF school of public service.

Just what do you find contemtable about the court not IC's decision?
How can you say the judges are from a FF biased background?

Shameful. Then again come Tuesday he is out of a job with little or no chance of holding office again.

Actually the outgoing senators have votes in the senate election I believe.

liammur

The judges in this country have a lot to answer for. I wonder who gave them their jobs?

Het-Field

Forget him.

He has got three weeks left a a public representative. After that, he will be irrelevant.

ISAW

Raging_Ninja wrote: »

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0131/callelyi.html

He's just been awarded €17000 in damages.

I am NOT defending Callely, but:

This is what happens when there's a witch hunt. If the whole thing had been done properly, this wouldn't have happened. But the public and media wanted to hang him asap, and so they got their public spectacle.

The whole thing was botched and has now become a farce. This should have been done professionally and in due course with a full investigation (read: 'these things take a fair bit of time'), but the public didn't want that and so they went off half-cocked and now he has to be given damages out the taxpayer's pocket.

I wholehartedly agree. People look for action instead of solutions. If FF are in power they blame FF but when Lab get into power, I suspect it will be a "systems failure".

It is the vitriolic comments against Ivor and the like that create the conditions for such damages to be awarded. I mentioned it in earlier threads and now he is being given the damages because people acted without thinking about the situation.

Einhard

liammur wrote: »

The judges in this country have a lot to answer for. I wonder who gave them their jobs?

They're there to ensure that the law is applied equally and consistently to ALL citizens. Callelly may be an odious little twerp, but he is as entitled to due process under the law as you or I. As another poster pointed out, the whole affair was badly handled from the start, and seemed designed more as a PR exercise for an embattled Senate, than an attempt to truly hold Callely to account.

JP Liz V1

Het-Field wrote: »

Forget him.

He has got three weeks left a a public representative. After that, he will be irrelevant.

I bet he will get a fat pension also :mad:

ISAW

Het-Field wrote: »

Forget him.

He has got three weeks left a a public representative. After that, he will be irrelevant.

This seems endemic of the "lynch mob" mentality. Hang someone and then forget about them. whatever happened to justice being done? It just smacks of the bias that the poster only wants to attack FF and nothing else. If Labour for example get in then the same posters won't apply the same standards because they have "forgotten about" the case. What you can't forget is that trial by media has now set a precedent whereby people can sue for damages.

The important point is that justice be done whether FF Lab or whoever else have to suffer because of it.

ISAW

Moderators please merge these threads

flutered

how low is low with that party, put the lawyers fees on top of that, fcuking scandelous.

sinequanon

Its so shocking that its nearly unbelievable...to think that pious fool has recouped money that he has scammed out of all us twenty thousand fold makes me physically sick!!!

imme

Our legal system has given us twisted results in the past, it will happen again, o doubt. The little guy has been awarded the money. If he was a big man he'd give the money to charity.

Ivor reminds me of the politician in the Coen Brothers film Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, in which the politician rolls around the countryside in 1930's USA with a man of regaular height and a dwarf on the back of a truck, saying he was 'for the little man as well'.

Interesting to read in the Indo of Ivor's property empire, looks like he puts his wages to good use.:pac:

whiteonion

Another Fianna Fail politician bleeding the state and keeps asking for more. Did anyone expect anything else from a Fianna Fail politician?

Raging_Ninja

azana11 wrote: »

This seems like a cool initiative.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Political-Reform-Scorecard-Ref ormcardcom/130049577060172

These guys will score party's manifestos across five areas:

- Electoral reform;
- Oireachtas reform;
- Public sector reform;
- Open Government; and
- Local Government Reform?

Many if Ireland's independent political science experts are on the scoring panel.

Using 25 indicators. Could you like this on facebook if you think it is cool?

Once in a lifetime to break the 30 year cycle of crisis in Ireland.

Spambot?

Atlantic Dawn

Figures of the court and legal fees are likely to be over 50 times this amount :mad:, around €1,000,000 which Joe and Josephine Soap will have to pay.

Just wondering, did his "loss of earnings" include his travel allowance for his bogus address?

ISAW

imme wrote: »

Our legal system has given us twisted results in the past,

so you think the court was wrong? How was it wrong?

Interesting to read in the Indo of Ivor's property empire, looks like he puts his wages to good use.:pac:

I think actually the wife had several businesses before he got into the Dail so maybe he married money?

wealthyman

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

3DataModem

IT IS NOT DAMAGES!

He was unlawfully suspended by a group who didn't have the power or mandate to do it. While suspended, he lost pay and expenses and benefits totalling 17k.

What is shocking and disgusting is that he had to go to court and waste taxpayers loot getting his unpaid salary back.

BTW I think he's a tool and the Senate is a HUGE waste of taxpayers money. But even tools in stupid jobs are entitled to get paid and not have some other tool just ignore due process and dock his pay.

ALSO:

The irish unfair dismissal and payment of wages acts are very very powerful (and somewhat unique) protections of workers rights. Any other decision by the highcourt would have compromised those rights.

PeterIanStaker

LeixlipRed wrote: »

The cheek of him is all I can say, if I posted what I really thought I'd be banned.

I'd also be banned if I articulated what I believe his fate should have been. 17,000 Eur is a years' salary to some people, yet that whiny nasal little nonentity gets it for 20 days worth?

I am a postgraduate profesional who's currently working unpaid to get experience.

I apply for on average five jobs a week. Did two interviews in recent weeks, and waiting to hear back. The Dole office people have suspended my claim until I provide evidence (which I did) that I am seeking employment. Fingers crossed. And then you hear about this little ****.

This country's finished. Spoil your vote for all these people care.

Mr.Micro

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

I bet he will get a fat pension also :mad:

It will make no difference IMO as there will never be enough money for the sponger.

liammur

Einhard wrote: »

They're there to ensure that the law is applied equally and consistently to ALL citizens. Callelly may be an odious little twerp, but he is as entitled to due process under the law as you or I. As another poster pointed out, the whole affair was badly handled from the start, and seemed designed more as a PR exercise for an embattled Senate, than an attempt to truly hold Callely to account.

Judges are out of touch with reality - can't even get pay cuts.

1966

grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and un........................ !!!!!

ISAW

3DataModem wrote: »

IT IS NOT DAMAGES!

So if you are compensated for a wrongful decision it isn't damages?

What is shocking and disgusting is that he had to go to court and waste taxpayers loot getting his unpaid salary back.

So he should have accepted unlawful treatment and trial by media?

BTW I think he's a tool and the Senate is a HUGE waste of taxpayers money.

what you think about him or the Senate is immaterial! It is a straw man.

But even tools in stupid jobs are entitled to get paid and not have some other tool just ignore due process and dock his pay.

Which is why it is a straw man.

The irish unfair dismissal and payment of wages acts are very very powerful (and somewhat unique) protections of workers rights. Any other decision by the highcourt would have compromised those rights.

Oh so he is entitled to rights but you just wish he didn't defend them?

sollar

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Figures of the court and legal fees are likely to be over 50 times this amount :mad:, around €1,000,000 which Joe and Josephine Soap will have to pay.

If this is true then i'm astounded.

Heard him on the news there sounding very pleased with himself.... he may have fooled the judges but in the hearts and minds of the ordinary man on the street he is the worst sort of weasle going imo.

Sir Oxman

Einhard wrote: »

They're there to ensure that the law is applied equally and consistently to ALL citizens. Callelly may be an odious little twerp, but he is as entitled to due process under the law as you or I. As another poster pointed out, the whole affair was badly handled from the start, and seemed designed more as a PR exercise for an embattled Senate, than an attempt to truly hold Callely to account.

I agree.
Sickening to the pit of my stomach, but it was hugely mishandled.
Now, who will be held to account for this travesty by the Senate?

Answer = no-one

Mr.Micro

gambiaman wrote: »

I agree.
Sickening to the pit of my stomach, but it was hugely mishandled.
Now, who will be held to account for this travesty by the Senate?

Answer = no-one

He will never be Mr. Popular and I thought that I read recently, Irish Times I think, that the Seanad will be appealing the decision in the first place.

Het-Field

ISAW wrote: »

This seems endemic of the "lynch mob" mentality. Hang someone and then forget about them. whatever happened to justice being done? It just smacks of the bias that the poster only wants to attack FF and nothing else. If Labour for example get in then the same posters won't apply the same standards because they have "forgotten about" the case. What you can't forget is that trial by media has now set a precedent whereby people can sue for damages.

The important point is that justice be done whether FF Lab or whoever else have to suffer because of it.

Sorry. There is no legal precedent set at all.

This is a simple JR action which deemed the procedures to be unfair. The award recompenses Mr Callely for the days he missed in the Seanad which were unpaid. No damages have been given for "trial by media".

Further, Mr Callelly's name is not clear after this. The procedures were unfair, and he is entitled to enjoy fair procedures and natural justice. But this does not wash away what happened, nor does it scrub his name clear.

poppyvalley

PeterIanStaker wrote: »

. Spoil your vote for all these people care.

Never do that ,use your vote to get them OUT! OUT! OUT!I do have the feeling that whatever replaces them wont be much of an improvement, but at least we might get a bit more honesty'that's the least we are entitled to after years of lies & double-dealing by FF

Liam Byrne

I am absolutely fuming at the news tonight and I reckon this could start to get ugly with actual riots in order to demand actual justice.

If someone does unacceptable stuff they deserve vitriol, and I'm astounded that a judge could rule that Mr Faked Invoices didn't set out to mislead.

Justice may yet be done when he's jailed for fraud, but I won't hold my breath given this despicable country!

PeterIanStaker

poppyvalley wrote: »

Never do that ,use your vote to get them OUT! OUT! OUT!I do have the feeling that whatever replaces them wont be much of an improvement, but at least we might get a bit more honesty'that's the least we are entitled to after years of lies & double-dealing by FF

I didnt mean it literally, just meant that the Seanad is a waste of space as it stands where people like this arrogant, smug, litle whelp are nominated to it by the Taoiseach without say from us, the voters. . I assure you I fully intend to exercise my democratic right on polling day, to vote for someone who as you say, may not be much of an improvement, but who isn't FF (or Greens)

nesf

Raging_Ninja wrote: »

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0131/callelyi.html

He's just been awarded €17000 in damages.

I am NOT defending Callely, but:

This is what happens when there's a witch hunt. If the whole thing had been done properly, this wouldn't have happened. But the public and media wanted to hang him asap, and so they got their public spectacle.

The whole thing was botched and has now become a farce. This should have been done professionally and in due course with a full investigation (read: 'these things take a fair bit of time'), but the public didn't want that and so they went off half-cocked and now he has to be given damages out the taxpayer's pocket.

Agree, I think the man is the worst kind of chancer but he's entitled to due process and if the State screws up sanctioning him he's entitled to damages etc.

Pete_Cavan

3DataModem wrote: »

IT IS NOT DAMAGES!

He was unlawfully suspended by a group who didn't have the power or mandate to do it. While suspended, he lost pay and expenses and benefits totalling 17k.

Dont try to defend him. Regardless whether or not he was legally entitled to claim expenses for a house in Cork while living in Dublin is not the point. It is wrong to claim expenses that he did not incur and that is that. If you found a loop hole in the law that allowed you to legally kill someone does that mean you should do so?

If Callelly had any backbone he would have at least admitted he was wrong to claim the expenses but instead he fought it through the courts. That just proves the contempt he has for the people of this country and what a spineless turd he really is. He has absolutely no morals.

Mr.Micro

Liam Byrne wrote: »

I am absolutely fuming at the news tonight and I reckon this could start to get ugly with actual riots in order to demand actual justice.

If someone does unacceptable stuff they deserve vitriol, and I'm astounded that a judge could rule that Mr Faked Invoices didn't set out to mislead.

Justice may yet be done when he's jailed for fraud, but I won't hold my breath given this despicable country!

I stand to be corrected Liam but I do believe that the actual issue about alleged fraud/ phone receipts etc was not the issue or the case it was simply that the Seanad had no right to ban him for 20 days despite his alleged ludicrous expenses claims......it appears these will never be addressed unless a member of the public makes a formal complaint about them.

AlekSmart

Het-Field wrote: »

Sorry. There is no legal precedent set at all.

This is a simple JR action which deemed the procedures to be unfair. The award recompenses Mr Callely for the days he missed in the Seanad which were unpaid. No damages have been given for "trial by media".

Further, Mr Callelly's name is not clear after this. The procedures were unfair, and he is entitled to enjoy fair procedures and natural justice. But this does not wash away what happened, nor does it scrub his name clear.

A bit of clarity at last.

Ivor is to recieve his salary and expenses (:eek:) for his term of suspension.
However he also appears to be getting his costs,although an appeal by the State may well be entered here.

The costs in this case are likely to be HUGE,relevant to the individual nature of the case because this area was/is untested.

There are a hell of a lot of associated issues at play here,some of which have not yet been picked up on by the media.

Right now I would speculate that Ivor is a man with a requirement to maintain a cash-flow position and that may yet be threatened further if the newest property related relevations are to be believed ?

PeterIanStaker posted: I am a postgraduate profesional who's currently working unpaid to get experience.

I apply for on average five jobs a week. Did two interviews in recent weeks, and waiting to hear back. The Dole office people have suspended my claim until I provide evidence (which I did) that I am seeking employment.

PeterIanStaker,you really need to stake out the right sort of hairdresser and marry her,seems to work well for some ?

Worztron

This is beyond belief. Callely was living in Dublin yet claiming for traveling expenses for Cork. What a despicable creature he is. He should be locked up for committing fraud! :mad:

Einhard

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

Dont try to defend him. Regardless whether or not he was legally entitled to claim expenses for a house in Cork while living in Dublin is not the point. It is wrong to claim expenses that he did not incur and that is that. If you found a loop hole in the law that allowed you to legally kill someone does that mean you should do so?

If Callelly had any backbone he would have at least admitted he was wrong to claim the expenses but instead he fought it through the courts. That just proves the contempt he has for the people of this country and what a spineless turd he really is. He has absolutely no morals.

He wasn't defending him. If Callely can be suspended without pay in contravention of his rights due process, it would brepresent a serious diminuation of workers' rights in general.

Mr.Micro

Einhard wrote: »

He wasn't defending him. If Callely can be suspended without pay in contravention of his rights due process, it would brepresent a serious diminuation of workers' rights in general.

Callely working, now there is a thought.....on his expenses maybe

kippy

Another interesting article in the indo today (probably rehashed) on the bould Ivors property interests. Strange how when property takes a nosedive and income from property probably follows the bould Ivors "income" from the State goes up massively due to this "swapping" of houses.
Also, as a sub article, a piece on some money Ivor allegedly owes to a company whose director he put onto another state board - nothing dodgy there at all no doubt.

Seriously, we are a nation of idiots for letting these guys get away with loose morals (at best)as they do.

Fr Tod Umptious

Einhard wrote: »

......the whole affair was badly handled from the start, and seemed designed more as a PR exercise for an embattled Senate, than an attempt to truly hold Callely to account.

Interesting.
I'm sure that if there is a referendum on the future of the senate this farce will do those who wish to maintain it a lot of damage

sparkling sea

outandabout wrote: »

The High Court has ordered that Senator Ivor Callely be paid almost €17,000 for loss of earnings during his 20-day suspension from the Seanad last year.


RTE.ie reported that The senator was present in the High Court for the first time since he successfully challenged the decision by the Seanad Committee on Members' Interests. He was also awarded costs.

The High Court found his right to fair procedures and natural justice had been breached.

And this was always going to be the outcome, its so annoying to see the ongoing cost to the tax payer because of this farce.

Callely should have been the subject of a criminal investigation, not an inquiry by a committee who a first year law student would have known where working outside their remit. They have all looked after each other - its scandalous :mad:

Pete_Cavan

Einhard wrote: »

He wasn't defending him. If Callely can be suspended without pay in contravention of his rights due process, it would brepresent a serious diminuation of workers' rights in general.

The fact remains that it was Callelly who was wrong in the first place (regardless of whether or not it was within the rules) and he should of been man enough to accept it. I dont care if he keeps the expenses he claimed but taking this through the courts was a slap in the face to every taxpayer in this country. I stand by my "spineless turd" remark.

Liam Byrne

Liam Byrne wrote: »

I am absolutely fuming at the news tonight and I reckon this could start to get ugly with actual riots in order to demand actual justice.

If someone does unacceptable stuff they deserve vitriol, and I'm astounded that a judge could rule that Mr Faked Invoices didn't set out to mislead.

Justice may yet be done when he's jailed for fraud, but I won't hold my breath given this despicable country!

Liam, I have to agree with you. When I saw him talking on the news I was absolutely raging. I swear I was about to punch something.

Just want to ask again if his bogus Dublin-Cork travel expenses were included in his payout?