THE SEANAD Committee on Members’ Interests is to meet in private session next Tuesday morning, when it is expected to consider the court challenge launched by Senator Ivor Callely earlier this week.
The committee produced a report last July which urged that Mr Callely be suspended from the service of the Seanad for 20 days and have his salary withheld for that period.
This recommendation was unanimously adopted by Seanad Éireann.
The committee had investigated why the Senator claimed for the 370km journey between Leinster House and a property in Kilcrohane, west Cork, instead of from a property in Clontarf, Dublin, over a two-year period.
Mr Callely’s High Court bid to quash the committee’s finding that he misrepresented his place of residence for the purposes of claiming expenses has been adjourned until October.
The committee is now investigating a complaint against Mr Callely that €3,000 in mobile phone expenses was claimed with receipts from a company that had been defunct for more than a decade.
The former Fianna Fáil Senator has submitted a response to this complaint.
The committee is also investigating a further complaint against Mr Callely relating to his Declaration of Members’ Interests. The complaint is an allegation that the Senator did not disclose all the properties owned or co-owned by him in an official declaration. He is required to respond, again in writing, to this complaint by September 21st.
The committee is chaired by Seanad Cathaoirleach Pat Moylan. Other members are Fine Gael leader in the Seanad Frances Fitzgerald, Senators Camillus Glynn and Denis O’Donovan (Fianna Fáil), Alex White (Labour) and Joe O’Toole (Ind).
Senator Dan Boyle (Green Party) removed himself from the committee because he had made adverse public comments about Mr Callely and his replacement is fellow Green Party Senator Mark Deary.
