The Standards in Public Office Commission is to investigate Fianna Fáil Limerick West TD Mr Michael Collins, who was forced to pay €130,000 in back taxes and penalties last year to the Revenue Commissioners. Mark Hennessy, Political Correspondent reports
The commission was requested "within recent weeks" by the Dáil's Committee on Members' Interests to conduct an investigation.
Speaking on Tuesday, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, gave a strong hint that Mr Collins will be expelled from the party once all inquiries into his conduct are completed.
The commission referred Mr Collins's case to the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr James Hamilton, last December, on the grounds that he may have produced incorrect tax statements following his re-election in May 2002. The DPP has yet to rule on whether a criminal prosecution will be taken against Mr Collins, who was legally required to guarantee that he was fully up to date with his tax affairs. Last December the Commission told the Dáil's ethics committee that it could not investigate Mr Collins's conduct unless it was asked to do so, because Mr Collins is a backbench TD and not an office holder. The commission also requested that the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, should investigate flaws in the Ethics Act pointed up by the Collins case.
The Dáil's Members' Interests Committee is chaired by Tipperary South TD Mr Noel Davern of Fianna Fáil. The other members are Mr Noel Grealish (PD); Mr Padraic McCormack (FG); Mr Eoin Ryan (FF) and Mr Trevor Sargent (Green Party). If the commission finds against Mr Collins, a brother of Fianna Fáil Munster MEP Mr Gerard Collins, the Dáil's ethics committee could then impose penalties.
In May 2000 former Fianna Fáil TD for Kerry North Mr Denis Foley was suspended from the Dáil for 14 days after an investigation by the committee into his Ansbacher account.
Meanwhile, Mayo TD Ms Beverley Flynn said that Mayo's three Fianna Fáil National Executive members will support her tomorrow on the Taoiseach's motion to have her expelled from the party organisation. The expulsion motion requires a two-thirds majority, and Government figures are now confident that that will be secured given the way in which Ms Flynn has directly challenged the Taoiseach's authority.
Speaking on Mid-West Radio yesterday Ms Flynn said: "I have enormous support, at every level, among Fianna Fáil members in the Mayo organisation. Personally I'm not canvassing the support of any ardcomhairle members but many of my local supporters are doing so".
On Tuesday night Ballina Comhairle Ceantair decided, after a vote, that all three Mayo members of the ardcomhairle would be asked to support Ms Flynn at Friday night's meeting.
One of the three Castlebar-based members, Mr Iarla Duffy, said: "I've listened to Beverley's side of the story and on Friday I'll listen to what the Taoiseach has to say. Only then will I make up my mind and at that point I will do whatever I feel is best for Fianna Fáil in Mayo. The swiftness and the determination of the Taoiseach's action on this issue is not his usual style and so I want to hear the Taoiseach's reasons as to why he wants the deputy removed from the organisation."