Six TD's and senators forced to refund illegitimate expense claims

Mokuba · 10-10-2019 2:50pm #1

In a shocking and out of character development, Maria Bailey was found to have the 2nd highest number of illegitimate expense claims out of those audited. She doesn't play offside.

https://www.thejournal.ie/tds-senators-expenses-dail-maria-bailey-4845883-Oct2019/

NIMAN · 10-10-2019 2:51pm

Refund them?

Isn't it time people got the heave-ho for filing dodgy claims?

pablo128 · 10-10-2019 2:54pm

Ah it just gets better and better. We have glorified fraudsters running the country unhindered.

James Brown · 10-10-2019 2:54pm

SIX POLITICIANS HAVE had to refund almost €10,000 in expenses this year after an audit found they could not provide supporting evidence to justify claiming such allowances.

Two Fine Gael TDs – Alan Farrell and Maria Bailey – and Fine Gael senator, Michelle Mulherin accounted for the bulk of the ineligible claims.
https://www.thejournal.ie/tds-senators-expenses-dail-maria-bailey-4845883-Oct2019/

Seeing as the claims didn't pan out they needed free money from somewhere

Bailey and Farrell A.K.A. Swings and roundabouts.

Enter the plucky Blue Shirt Squad, (or BS'ers) to ask us are we 'still on this?' Or 'sure others do worse so they do'. :rolleyes:

suicide_circus · 10-10-2019 2:56pm

illegitimate? you mean fraudulent?

refund? they should be pilloried in the town square.

purifol0 · 10-10-2019 3:00pm

Timely reminder that in other countrues including the one next door they actually jail people for this. After swing-gate Maria Bailey was simply annoyed that she had to step down as a committe chair - not resign in disgrace or get booted by the party. Nope Leo kept her on and kept the reults of FG's "internal investigation" a secret!

jam_mac_jam · 10-10-2019 3:02pm

That's nice. I would be sacked.

riffmongous · 10-10-2019 3:02pm

1 – TD Alan Farrell (FG) – €4,214.79
2 – Senator Michelle Mulherin (FG) – €2,006.73
3 – TD Maria Bailey (FG) – €1,977.11
4 – Senator Lynn Ruane (Ind) – €978.81
5 – Senator Colette Kelleher (Ind) – €245.85
6 – Senator Jerry Buttimer (FG) – €227.16.

The clean TDs and Senators

Finian McGrath (Ind)
Clare Daly (I4C)
Noel Rock (FG)
Niall Collins (FF)
Kate O’Connell (FG)
Danny Healy-Rae (Ind)
Seán Fleming (FF)
Simon Coveney (FG)
Martin Ferris (SF)
Martin Kenny (SF)
Michael Moynihan (FF)
Michael Lowry (FG)
Michael Collins (Ind)
The senators audited were:

Rónan Mullen (Ind)
Catherine Ardagh (FF)
Tom Neville (FG).

So 4 out of 9 FGers were found to be dodgy, that's fairly shocking tbh

James Brown · 10-10-2019 3:03pm

suicide_circus wrote: »

illegitimate? you mean fraudulent?

refund? they should be pilloried in the town square.

When we do it it's fraud when FG does it it's 'inappropriate' or 'oversight'.

Peatys · 10-10-2019 3:04pm

Wonder how much it adds up to after fines and interest?

banie01 · 10-10-2019 3:07pm

If this was a report into a private companies expense practices it would quite legitimately be lauded as exposing a corporate culture of fraud and malfeasance.

I wonder what it says about Fine Gael as a body corporate?
Where are the standards?
What's the line between honest mistake, and a culture of fraud and pocket lining?

weemcd · 10-10-2019 3:08pm

They should be sacked and prosecuted.

James Brown · 10-10-2019 3:15pm

In my job you justify the spend before you get the money, then you better have an invoice.

Peatys · 10-10-2019 3:20pm

Matt Barrett wrote: »

In my job you justify the spend before you get the money, then you better have an invoice.

I didn't think there were different setups.
I presumed you spent your own money, sent the receipts to work, they pay you back outside of your salary so you are not taxed on it for a second time.

TDs seem to just claim without receipts and hope no one notices

McMurphy · 10-10-2019 3:22pm

Two Fine Gael TDs – Alan Farrell and Maria Bailey – and Fine Gael senator, Michelle Mulherin accounted for the bulk of the ineligible claims.

3 names that are by no means strangers to the newspapers for questionable practices.

One for a suspicious insurance claim.

The other for lodging a suspicious insurance claim after an earlier shake down of the same business for twenty grand didn't work.

The other for expecting tax payers to pick up the tab for her fornicating phonecalls to her African Prince.

Bailey, a TD for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown was removed as chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Housing in July as a result of her controversial personal injuries claim after falling from a swing in a Dublin hotel.

Farrell was also criticised for making a €15,000 claim for whiplash for neck and shoulder pains he claimed he suffered for up to 18 months following what a judge said were “minor injuries” sustained in a collision with a van.

During court proceedings last year in which he was awarded €2,500 in damages, the court was shown photos of Mr Farrell at the top of a ladder with an election poster four months after the accident.

Michelle Mulherin, a former TD for Mayo, paid €3,295 to the Oireachtas in 2015 after it emerged she had made a large number of calls to Kenya from her Dáil office

Not surprised at all.

Pintman Paddy Losty · 10-10-2019 3:24pm

It seems that the refunded amounts only seem to be a small percentage of the overall spend (2.6%) and were based on accounting inaccuracies (claiming outside the period).

Anyway - good that we have a bit of transparency in the system and that mistakes like this are rectified.

Also the poster who suggested a system where you justify the spend first, then are given the money is totally impractical. It would cost far more to administer a system like that.

Plumbthedepths · 10-10-2019 3:26pm

Maria and Alan involved in fraud again, colour me shocked.
Michelle ran up a large phone bill again?

[Deleted User] · 10-10-2019 3:27pm

I presume these figures are all on top of the €20,355 per year that TDs can (and do) claim with no receipts.

Harvey Weinstein · 10-10-2019 3:29pm

The bottom line is most Irish people feign outrage and ultimately accept this type of corruption.

In fact most would be horrified if the likes of Bailey were arrested, charged, brought to trial and imprisoned.

c.p.w.g.w · 10-10-2019 3:32pm

Jaysus Ronan Mullins was clean...the ones who filed fraudulent claims should feel even worse

Plumbthedepths · 10-10-2019 3:33pm

Harvey Weinstein wrote: »

In fact most would be horrified if the likes of Bailey were arrested, charged, brought to trial and imprisoned.

Speaking for myself I would be quite happy to see a TD no matter what political ideology they have spend time locked up for this type of behaviour and banned from ever holding public office again. One can only dream I guess....

Odyssey 2005 · 10-10-2019 3:38pm

Maria Bailey making an illegitimate claim !!! Well I never. Humanity has been crossed...again.;)

[Deleted User] · 10-10-2019 3:42pm

Quelle surprise, the cream rises to the top. Michelle Mulherin, an unqualified senator with a dubious track record caught out once again. And Maria Bailey never falters in her entitlement quest.

Petty chancers, not one iota of contrition.

James Brown · 10-10-2019 3:53pm

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

It seems that the refunded amounts only seem to be a small percentage of the overall spend (2.6%) and were based on accounting inaccuracies (claiming outside the period).

Anyway - good that we have a bit of transparency in the system and that mistakes like this are rectified.

Also the poster who suggested a system where you justify the spend first, then are given the money is totally impractical. It would cost far more to administer a system like that.

An early 'nothing to see here' from m'lud.

Here's how it works..

A: I want money.
B: Why?
A: Here's why.
B:Okay.
A: Here's an invoice.
B: Thanks.

Or

A: I spent money and I want it back.
B: Why?
A: Here's why.
B: Okay.
A: Here's an invoice.
B: Cula bula

Terrible complex I know but oddly very common practice.

Dubh Geannain · 10-10-2019 3:58pm

When's she appearing on Seán o Rourke to defend herself?

I can give here a couple of quality lines she could use in her defence -
"Seán, I am not doing trial by media over the airwaves here"
"I have done nothing wrong here. Seán…"
"Seán, I am a citizen of this State too"
"Humanity has been re-crossed"
"Humilty has been crossed out"
"Seán, Seán, Seán"

LiamoSail · 10-10-2019 4:13pm

Maria Bailey is a crook. The only reason her transgressions have been relatively minor is that her power of influence is relatively minor.

Harry Palmr · 10-10-2019 4:13pm

The obvious shortcoming of this auditing system is that TDs and Senators only need to account for the most recent audit period of a year so with about 10% likelihood of being caught in a given year many will be willing to chance it. So clearly it should be like a revenue tax audit where up to 6 years of paperwork can be checked.

McMurphy · 10-10-2019 4:27pm

In fairness like, with all the negative press recently with Bailey and Madigan basically trying to shake down a Dublin business for a handy twenty k, and that story reminding the public or Farrell's claim.....

The odds on them two (along with the phantom dialler to Africa just for added effect) being "randomly selected" for an audit must be astofcukingnomical.

Plumbthedepths · 10-10-2019 4:37pm

Johnny Dogs wrote: »

In fairness like, with all the negative press recently with Bailey and Madigan basically trying to shake down a Dublin business for a handy twenty k, and that story reminding the public or Farrell's claim.....

The odds on them two (along with the phantom dialler to Africa just for added effect) being "randomly selected" for an audit must be astofcukingnomical.

I suspect all 3 will be private citizens after the next GE.

Richard Hillman · 10-10-2019 4:40pm

The Journal have a direct line to Lynn Ruane, did they not ask for a comment?

I'm sure she will be clearing it up during her near weekly column

Underground · 10-10-2019 6:13pm

How do you even rack up 4k in expenses that you can't account for? In the private sector, 250 quid in expenses you can't account for is taking the p*as, but four fcucking grand? How?? Do you expense absolutely everything?

Little surprise to see Maria and Alan top of the pops again and FG all in all accounting for 8k of the 10k headline figure.

They would be arrested in most other countries or at the very least removed from office.

Six TD's and senators forced to refund illegitimate expense claims

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