TWO COMMITTEES investigating Ivor Callely’s use of receipts from a defunct company when making expense claims are separately writing to the Senator today to ask him for a full explanation.
Both the Seanad Committee on Members’ Interests and a Fianna Fáil internal committee yesterday began investigations into the new allegations surrounding Mr Callely.
The former minister of state has already been suspended from the Seanad for 20 days for claiming travel expenses to Leinster House from his west Cork holiday home.
The Senator admitted last weekend that four receipts he submitted claiming almost €3,000 for the purchase of mobile phones between 2002 and 2007 used the letterhead of a company that ceased trading in 1994.
Mr Callely returned the sum he received, €2,879, to the Oireachtas last Friday, but claimed he submitted the receipts in “good faith”. Arising from the latest disclosures, Fianna Fáil has suspended him from the party pending the outcome of its inquiry.
The members’ interest committee, which met for 5½ hours yesterday, decided to write to Mr Callely asking him to respond in writing by 10am on August 23rd. The committee will meet that afternoon to consider his response.
The committee has also begun preliminary investigations into the expenses of Senator Larry Butler, who resigned the Fianna Fáil whip in June, and Senator Ann Ormonde, who retains the whip.
The inquiry arises after both Senators, both of whom have addresses in Dublin, were claiming travel expenses for a period from addresses outside the capital. Mr Butler has previously said his home was in Graiguenamanagh, Co Kilkenny, and he only stayed in his house in Foxrock on Seanad sitting days.
Ms Ormonde, from Donnybrook in Dublin, has said she claimed expenses from Waterford for a period when building work was being carried out on her holiday home.
Fianna Fáil confirmed a special investigating committee yesterday met for two hours to begin preliminary work on an inquiry into grounds for expelling Mr Callely from the party. The committee comprises five members of the party’s ardchomhairle, in addition to a chairman, who is independent of the party.
The party did not name the five members or the independent chairman yesterday but said it would be in a position to do so today.
A Fianna Fáil spokesman said the committee would write to Mr Callely today asking him to attend a meeting in due course.
In procedures agreed after the expulsion of Beverley Flynn, the committee has powers to hold hearings, invite submissions and write a report making recommendations.
The next meeting of the Fianna Fáil ardchomhairle will be brought forward to early next month to discuss Mr Callely’s case. The investigating committee can recommend three options: no action; a suspension of membership; or expulsion from Fianna Fáil.
One source said yesterday in the absence of a satisfactory explanation by Mr Callely of how he used receipts from a liquidated company, the most likely option would be expulsion.
The members interests’ committee is chaired by Seanad Cathaoirleach Pat Moylan of Fianna Fáil. Its other members are Frances Fitzgerald of Fine Gael, Labour’s Alex White, Independent Joe O’Toole, Camillus Glynn of Fianna Fáil and Denis O’Donovan of Fianna Fáil.
Green Party Senator Dan Boyle attended the start of the meeting but then removed himself because he had made adverse public comments about Mr Callely.
Fianna Fáil said yesterday there had been no communications between Mr Callely and senior party officials since the controversy emerged 10 days ago.
Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith yesterday said he fully concurred with the comments of Taoiseach Brian Cowen at the weekend that Mr Callely’s statement raised more questions than answers.