Fianna Fáil is stepping up pressure on the North Dublin TD, Mr G.V. Wright, to resign the party whip, some of his Oireachtas colleagues said yesterday.
A number of Fianna Fáil TDs said they believeved the public confirmation that the party's internal ethics committee wanted to discuss Mr Wright's situation was an implicit signal that the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, wanted Mr Wright to consider his position in the parliamentary party. Mr Ahern's spokesman denied this was the case.
However, several TDs said the party leadership was clearly increasing pressure on Mr Wright by publicising the committee's scrutiny of his situation.
Already facing a drink-driving charge, Mr Wright is due to give evidence to the Mahon planning tribunal early next month. He has denied an allegation by the former government press secretary, Mr Frank Dunlop, that he conspired with Mr Dunlop to mislead the tribunal by giving it false evidence.
Fianna Fáil's official spokeswoman said: "The issue surrounding recent claims at the tribunal will be discussed at the ethics committee next week." The ethics committee was mindful of Mr Wright's denial and aware that he had yet to appear before the tribunal, but there was sufficient concern to place the issue on the agenda of the committee.
Public confirmation that the committee will discuss a case before the tribunal makes a finding is highly unusual. The party has previously said that conflicts of evidence in other cases were for the tribunal to resolve.
With the Dáil adjourned for 12 days, the discussion of the case in a recess week indicates that the party wants to address Mr Wright's case quickly. Chaired by Mr Seamus Kirk TD, the committee is expected to discuss Mr Wright's evidence to an internal party inquiry in 2000 into payment to politicians. Mr Wright did not respond yesterday to inquiries from The Irish Times.
While TDs said it had been known for some time that Mr Wright would feature in Mr Dunlop's evidence, the allegation of an attempt to mislead the tribunal increased the seriousness of the case. One Dublin TD said he believed the leadership's preferred outcome was for Mr Wright to resign the party whip while he fights the claims against him at the tribunal. However, others said there was no desire for Mr Wright to resign his seat. This would leave open the possibility that the Socialist Party councillor, Ms Clare Daly, would take the seat in a by-election.
Mr Wright won the final seat in the constituency last year, narrowly defeating Ms Daly. She was released from Mountjoy Prison a week ago after serving a one-month sentence for contempt of court in connection with the anti-bin-tax protest.
TDs said there was some sympathy for Mr Wright over the drink-driving case, in which a woman pedestrian was seriously injured when she was knocked down. While that incident was seen by some in the party as a case of "human frailty", TDs said latest allegations were regarded in a different light.
