A Fianna Fail councillor in Donegal is to go to the High Court in a bid to stop his expulsion from the party.
The local cumann in Bundoran voted on Saturday to expel Cllr John O'Donnell. held in the Holyrood Hotel, 36 of 40 members of the Thomas MacShea Cumann of Bundoran voted on in favour of expelling Cllr O'Donnell from the party for "unbecoming conduct".
Cllr O'Donnell, who did not attend the meeting after receiving legal advice, sent a letter to the meeting requesting the minutes of a contentious Fianna Fail councillors' meeting in June 1999, the cumann's report on the removal of the party whip from him, and the list of allegations against him.
He said none of this information had been made available. He also requested the minutes of another cumann meeting, on August 2nd, 2000.
However, Mr Des Donovan, cumann chairman, said Cllr O'Donnell had been furnished with all information requested. Cllr Sean McNiff, who is in the possession of the minutes of the Fianna Fail councillors' meeting of June 1999, also said Cllr O'Donnell had been given all information requested.
The Fianna Fail cumann allege that after proposing Cllr McNiff for a position on the county development board at the meeting, Cllr O'Donnell subsequently failed to vote with the party at the council meeting.
Cllr O'Donnell's letter stated: "If you insist as chairman in forcing on this meeting of the cumann without either supplying the above information or considering fair procedures, then you will do me a great disservice as a member of the party. More importantly, you have forced this issue into the High Court in Dublin by way of an application for an injunction to prevent you from taking any steps to expel from the Fianna Fail party." Speaking after the meeting, Cllr O'Donnell said although he was disappointed with the outcome, "it was not unexpected". He confirmed he was expecting to take the issue to the High Court this week and would also be appealing the decision within Fianna Fail.
" I am preparing a file for Dail Ceantar as soon as possible," he said.
In relation to the overwhelming vote, from the local cumann Cllr O'Donnell said that as far as he was aware 25 of the 36 people who voted for his expulsion were either family members of or financial dependants of Cllr McNiff.
Cllr McNiff rejected this, however noting that many of his family members were not present.
At the meeting Mr Donovan stated said there had been "considerable concern" expressed by members of the party about "adverse publicity and the way Cllr O'Donnell conducts political discussion through the media".
He said he had repeatedly been asked to take some action. One member of the cumann asked the meeting if some mediation with Cllr . O'Donnell was possible before a vote was taken.
Mr Donovan, however, said , that any previous attempts to do so had failed, despite repeated approaches approaches to Cllr . O'Donnell.
Cllr O'Donnell said: "I am going to very seriously resist this attempt to have me thrown out of the party. I will be seeking the injunction on the concept that naturaly justice and fair procedure have not been adhered to."