How many snouts in the trough?

leedslad

So, Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill(FF)is to appear before an investigative hearing of the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) next month.
Sipo has invited the senator to attend the hearing on June 10th. The hearing relates to expense claims made by the Fianna Fáil senator when he was a member of Donegal County Council in 2006 and 2007.
This comes along with claims that Cllrs Larkin(FF) Alcorn(FF) O'Dochartaigh(IND) abused the expenses system.
Alcorn and Larkin stated back in late 2012 that they would address the expenses anomalies when they had a chance to look over the alleged fraudelent claims. Have they spoken about this since? Is Alcorn's nomination to the board of Uadaras still being held up pending enquiry? or has the Council put someone elses name forward?
Cllrs Slowey(IND) FG at the time, has already been found guilty of abusing the expenses system.
Cllr Brogan(FF) asked the concerned taxpayer who blew the whistle to come out in public. Is this trying to deflect attention from the real issue?
Are there any other Councellor's in the past number of years that I have missed out?

retalivity

I am shocked. SHOCKED.

and the county council overhaul means there will be even more of these slimy feckers running around to bleed the system dry.

Edit: A source

bacon n eggs

Why should whistle blower come forward, of course trying to deflect. Those people are public representatives using and abusing the system.

Firblog

Ah but sure didn't (insert name here) get that (pot hole filled/grant/planning permission) for me; making a wee accounting error shouldn't be held against him, he's a decent fella.

leedslad

Lo and behold, the bould Senator had had his hearing postponed and was granted leave to apply for a judicial review and injunction against SIPO from carrying on it's investigation into alleged over claiming of expenses by him.
With regard to due process and all, can't help but think that this another smokescreen to drag out the process. Maybe i'm being naive but I would have thought that at a SIPO hearing that each lays their cards on the table and there either was or their wasn't expenses irregularities going on.

mistermouse

Can't understand why anyone in this position would apply for a judicial review, its just going to cost the state more to go through the legal process. If he has nothing to hide then why not go through the investigation and be proved innocent.
I doubt if SIPO is a kangaroo court set up by the media, does it not have statuory backing and therefore all he is doing is starting a process that will cost the state money to 'review' in court or wherever. It actually makes him look like trying to frustrate investigations which are being taken on behalf of the state(taxpayers)

The electorate should really remember this type of thing and I look forward to hearing what grounds he feels it more appropriate to go to law than just show up and answer the allegations

muffler

Regardless of who or what he is the democracy of this country allows for people to challenge certain matters through judiciary reviews.

leedslad

Sorry almost forgot this part of the saga.........

Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill is seeking orders requiring the Standards in Public Office Commission investigation to be carried out in Irish and that documents relating to the investigation be made available to him in Irish......

As is his right of course. Makes me wonder if they have an 'as Gaeilge' version of the expenses claim form as well? I guess they must, surely a Senator from a Gaeltacht area wouldn't fill in an expenses claim form in English?

echo beach

Given that some of the allegations refer to expenses for his time on Udaras I would have thought all the documentation would be in Irish and it would be automatic to have the hearings in Irish. Why did he even have to ask?:rolleyes:

section4

He is only costing the taxpayer more money, how can a politician justify this in the worst recession in living memory, but he does not care, he is not paying for it. He speaks to the Snead in English all the time and he has no problem with that. If he had any concern for the finances of the country he would be pragmatic and get this over and done with, the money that is getting wasted by his actions could pay for a special needs teacher or such like.