John Perry challenge to FG selection to be heard next week

A legal challenge by Fine Gael TD John Perry to the party's handling of a selection convention will go ahead next week, the High Court has confirmed.

Mr Perry is seeking orders against the trustees of Fine Gael over the October 16th convention at which he was not selected to contest the election for the party in the Sligo-Leitrim constituency. The party is opposing the application.

The matter was briefly mentioned on Wednesday before Mr Justice Paul Gilligan when lawyers for Mr Perry and Fine Gael confirmed various legal documents have been filed and exchanged between the parties.

Mr Justice Gilligan urged the parties to do everything they can to ensure the hearing runs as efficiently as possible. To ensure an expedited hearing, both sides agreed to pre-trial exchange of a precis of evidence experts will give to the court.

The action is listed for December 15th and is estimated to last between two to three days. The matter is to be mentioned before the court on Friday in case anything arises.

The judge previously stated there was an urgency to the matter because Taoiseach Enda Kenny had indicated the general election will probably be in early spring.

Irregularities

In his action Mr Perry alleges “serious and substantial” irregularities at the convention rendered its outcome “unlawful” and “fundamentally flawed”.  Those alleged irregularities included members being recorded as present and voting when they were not present. They also included members who were present and voted but did not have their votes recorded. Two members he never previously heard of had their names added for voting, he claims.

Other claims include that two members of one FG branch were recorded as having voted when they had not in fact attended the convention.

Another member, of a different FG branch, who was recorded as having voted had told Mr Perry he was in fact attending a GAA conference at Croke Park and was not present, it is claimed.

He alleges the party refused to take appropriate action because he had not made a complaint on the night to the returning officer.