Independent TD for North Tipperary Michael Lowry has been charged with filing a false tax return and is facing up to five years in prison if found guilty by a jury.
The politician is charged with “knowingly or wilfully” filing an incorrect return in October 2003 to do with income tax for the 2002 tax period.
He has yet to enter a plea to the charge, which came before Judge Elizabeth MacGrath in the District Court in Thurles on Tuesday. Mr Lowry was not in court but was legally represented. The case was put back to a date in January. There was no comment from Mr Lowry yesterday.
The charge, under section 1078 (2) (a) of the Taxes Consolidation Act, carries a fine of up to €3,000 and/or up to six months in jail, if proven in a District Court and a fine of up to €127,000 and/or up to five years imprisonment, if proven before a jury in the Circuit Court. It has not yet emerged if the case will be heard in the District or Circuit Court.
This can depend on the attitude of Mr Lowry and the DPP.
Mr Lowry is a former minister for transport, energy and communications in John Bruton’s Government. He became an Independent after resigning from government in 1996.
