Flanagan admits corruption on points

his actions to have two separate penalty points notices quashed were “corrupt” and “stupid” but insisted he was not prepared to resign his Dáil seat.

The Independent deputy had maintained in the Dáil and in subsequent interviews on Tuesday that others were responsible for the cancellation of four penalty points for using his mobile phone while driving on two occasions in 2011. He had claimed that a Garda sergeant and a senior official in Roscommon County Council – and not him – had instigated the removal of the points.

Defence collapsed
But that defence collapsed yesterday when Mr Flanagan effected a climbdown and admitted his actions in June 2011 and in December that year were wrong.

“It was corrupt what I did, so you can draw your own conclusions from that,” he said. “There’s no question that I have let people down.”

Separately, Roscommon county manager Frank Dawson cancelled a St Patrick's Day trip to the US to issue a statement categorically denying Mr Flanagan's claim that a senior council official "sorted out his penalty points".

Mr Flanagan told the Dáil on Tuesday night he had been stopped by gardaí on his way to the Roscommon County Council offices in December 2011. They cautioned him about using a mobile phone while driving and he had informed colleagues of the incident. He claimed a senior official later contacted him to say the points had been “sorted out”.

Mr Dawson said yesterday he assumed he was the official to whom Mr Flanagan referred.

"I utterly reject his allegations that I sorted out his penalty points issue for him. I will take all necessary steps to protect my good name and reputation," he said.
Mr Dawson also confirmed he would be writing to the Assistant Commissioner of the Garda Síochána about the matter.

Negative reaction
In an interview with a local radio station yesterday, Mr Flanagan insisted he would not resign his Dáil seat and said he did not need to consider his position. Public reaction in his constituency was overwhelmingly negative. Several TDs yesterday said the incident was hugely damaging to Mr Flanagan, given that he was one of four TDs who launched a campaign last December claiming that up to 50,000 penalty points notices had been cancelled by senior gardaí.

At no point until media disclosures last weekend did Mr Flanagan reveal he had penalty points cancelled, despite allowing two of four Independent TDs to "name and shame" several prominent people who allegedly benefited from cancelled points. Clare Daly and Joan Collins had both used parliamentary privilege to do so, despite being warned against it by Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett.

Unaware
Yesterday, Ms Daly and the fourth TD involved in the campaign, Mick Wallace, said they were unaware of Mr Flanagan having points quashed. "He's made a mistake, we all make them. It doesn't take from the main issue, the termination of penalty points," said Mr Wallace.

When stopped by gardaí for using his mobile phone on June 3rd, 2011, Mr Flanagan said he was travelling to the Dáil. That was a Friday and the Dáil was not sitting that day. Mr Flanagan did not return calls yesterday .