Senator Ivor Callely should consider his position in the Seanad following new allegations against him, according to a Government member of the committee that recently investigated his travel expenses.
Green Party chairman Senator Dan Boyle was responding to a claim in a Sunday newspaper that Mr Callely claimed almost €3,000 from the Oireachtas for the purchase of mobile phones and related services from a company that had ceased trading.
“The fact that information like this is being revealed on a regular basis means he needs to be considering his position. His own membership of the Seanad is something he needs to consider,” Mr Boyle said.
Mr Callely, who resigned the Fianna Fáil whip in June, could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Oireachtas documents show he was paid €2,879.64 in November 2007 under a mobile phone reimbursement scheme and a “direct purchase scheme”, to purchase telephone hardware and insurance, for which invoices relating to three separate 18-month periods between 2002 to 2008 were submitted together.
Invoices submitted by Mr Callely in relation to his claim were from a company that had ceased trading in 1994. They referred to the purchase of Nokia mobile phones and car kit installation. Company Registration Office records show that Business Communications Ltd, with an address in Fairview, filed its last annual return in 1993, had a liquidator appointed in 1994 and was later officially dissolved.
Fine Gael Senator Eugene Regan called on Taoiseach Brian Cowen to intervene. “It’s coming to the point of absurdity at this stage, with more and more revelations all the time. The only line we are getting is ‘I broke no rules’. If this was in any other political party in the country he would be expelled from the party,” Mr Regan said.
“What is Brian Cowen doing about it? Some leadership should be shown as to what standards apply within the Government party. He’s not calling Ivor Callely to account.”
Mr Cowen has previously said the political future of Mr Callely was a matter for himself and there was no provision whereby his nomination by former taoiseach Bertie Ahern could be withdrawn.
Speaking on July 16th, Mr Cowen noted Mr Callely had given a commitment to repay any expenses deemed inappropriate, and pointed out that the Senator was no longer a member of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party.
A Fianna Fáil spokesman said the party had no comment on the new allegations yesterday.
The Committee on Members’ Interests of Seanad Éireann last month found Mr Callely misrepresented his normal place of residence for the purposes of claiming expenses. The committee’s report said Mr Callely should be suspended from the service of the Seanad for 20 days and have his salary withheld because the misrepresentation was done “intentionally and was of a grave nature”. At the time, Mr Callely said he “strenuously” rejected the report’s findings.
