Lowry in breach of ethics Act

The Dáil’s Committee on Members’ Interests has found that Independent TD Michael Lowry contravened the Ethics in Public Office Act but said the matter was minor and the TD had acted in good faith.

The complaints were that Mr Lowry had failed to declare in the Dáil register of interests a registrable shareholding in Abbeygreen Consulting Ltd in respect of 2009-2011; that he had failed to declare a registrable shareholding in Garuda Ltd in respect of the years 2009-2011; and that he failed to register for 2006-2011 that he was the beneficial owner of 11 acres of land at Gortnahoe, Co Tipperary.

The committee investigated three complaints made by TD Luke Flanagan.

The committee decided that on the first complaint, Mr Lowry had contravened section 5 of the Act in respect of 2009 but the contravention was inadvertent and was a minor contravention in the circumstances. Mr Lowry was given 28 days to amend his entry in the register. In the following two years, Mr Lowry did not have a registrable shareholding, so that part of the complaint was not upheld.

On the second complaint, the committee found that Mr Lowry had acted in good faith but had made a minor contravention of the Act.

On the final complaint regarding the lands at Gortnahoe, the committee found that Mr Lowry was not in breach of the Acts and the complaint was dismissed.

“The outcome from my perspective is very satisfactory,” Mr Lowry said last night.