Senator Ivor Callely has announced his resignation from the Fianna Fáil party with immediate effect, claiming he has been denied fair procedures to allow him clear his name over allegations made against him.
The party said it had accepted his resignation and said a committe of investigation had today made a finding against him of "conduct unbecoming a member of Fianna Fáil".
In a statement issued tonight through a firm of solicitors, Mr Callely said his resignation arose following a refusal of the party's committee of inquiry to grant an adjournment of its proceedings "for the purposes of refuting the allegations made against him and because of the refusal of the committee to particularize alleged conduct ‘unbecoming a member’ of the Fianna Fáil party".
Mr Callely's statement said he "considers the committee’s findings as constituting a denial of fair procedures to allow him to vindicate his name and refute the allegations made against him".
"After Senator Callely’s dedication to the Fianna Fáil party in public life over a period of 25 years, he is devastated at the refusal to accord him fair procedures which makes his resignation inevitable because to have acted otherwise would have afforded legitimacy to an enquiry that denied him fair procedures."
The statement said Mr Callely "will now concentrate on clearing his name before the Seanad Select Committee and will be making no further statement at this time".
Mr Callely has faced several inquiries by a Seanad committee investigating his expenses claims. The Committee on Members' Interests yesterday announced a new inquiry into a complaint alleging he had failed to declare all his property interests.
In a statement, Fianna Fáil said it had accepted Mr Callely’s resignation.
"Senator Callely today met with the committee established by the party to enquire into certain matters concerning the Senator.
"Senator Callely attended and was represented by solicitor and senior counsel. After careful consideration, the committee refused an application made on Senator Callely’s behalf for a further adjournment of the proceedings of the committee," the statement said.
"After a short adjournment, the committee was informed that Senator Callely had resigned from Fianna Fáil and that he intended to take no further part in the proceedings of the committee.
"The committee proceeded in the absence of Senator Callely to conclude its investigation and made a finding of conduct unbecoming a member of Fianna Fáil."
Mr Callely was nominated to the Seanad in 2007 by former taoiseach Bertie Ahern after he lost his Dáil seat in the Dublin North Central constituency in the general election that year.