Childers calls on Fianna Fáil to make complaint to Gardaí over Flynn payment
By Jennifer Wade
Pádraig Flynn
LABOUR MEP NESSA Childers has called on Fianna Fáil to lodge a complaint with the Gardaí over a payment of IR£50,000 made to former minister and EU Commissioner Pádraig Flynn.
The recently released Mahon Tribunal report found that Flynn had “wrongfully and corruptly sought a substantial donation” from developer Tom Gilmartin for the Fianna Fáil party in 1989, and then used the money to buy a farm for his wife. Flynn has rejected the findings.
This week, the Sunday Times claimed that the Criminal Assets Bureau and Gardaí could not prove that Flynn obtained the donation by deception or fraud without first receiving a complaint from Fianna Fáil.
A spokesman for the party said the matter was due to be discussed at the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting next week, but did not reveal whether the party intended to make a complaint to the authorities.
“Fianna Fail must immediately make an official complaint to the Garda Síochána about Pádraig Flynn’s theft of IR€50,000,” Childers said. “This is a very clear test of Fianna Fail’s commitment to fighting white-collar crime.”
In a statement, she described as “sickening” the fact that no action had been taken on the Moriarty Tribunal’s findings and insisted that the same “go-slow approach” not be repeated with the Mahon Tribunal.
Childers criticised the treatment of white collar crime in Ireland: “Of course we need to protect people from the threat of assaults, rapes and robberies but white collar crime has never been treated in the same way as street crime,” she said.
“This must change for once and for all. All institutions of the state have a role to play and if we need a constitutional change I am sure the Irish people will be happy to vote for it.”
Comments (21 Comments)
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John 'Trips' Gallen 11/04/12 Report this commentGood on her, I’ve written to my local FF TD also but didn’t hear a response, ….surprise, surprise!
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Réada Quinn 11/04/12 Report this commentI, on someone’s recommendation, have rang Castlebar Garda Station several times. The justice in this country is a joke! If I were reporting someone for not having a TV licence they’d probably be locked up. (Slight exaggeration – poetic licence)
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Rommel Burke 11/04/12 Report this commentCastlebar probably too close to home Réada. Afterall didn’t he do great things for the town and county? You can be damn sure Flynn knows far too much to be scapegoated by FF or anyone else.
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Kerry Blake 11/04/12 Report this commentNo exaggeration Réada according to the Irish Examiner 132 people received a jail sentence last year for non payment of their TV license….
http://www.irishexaminer.com/news/surge-in-jail-terms-linked-to-tv-licences-180932.html
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John Murphy 11/04/12 Report this commentYeah Rommell
We could offer him witness protection in exchange for shooting off his big gob on The Late Late one more time!
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Sheila Byrne 11/04/12 Report this comment@ Reada & Rommel
I’d go with that, as much as I’m biting my hand here at the moment, if it works! :) But, the farm or his pension will have to go also?
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John Murphy 11/04/12 Report this commentReada, I’m going to butcher a quote here in relation to the persuit of capitalist (I don’t like the phrase white collar) crime in this country. Here goes:
”If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is bothered to listen has the tree made any noise or, indeed, even fallen at all?”
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Getard Langslanger 11/04/12 Report this commentYeah stay away from the Gardai in Castlebar. He’s a hero down there. Sure he fixted the rhoad
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Réada Quinn 11/04/12 Report this commentI’ve heard better from you John. A lot better. And Gatard I’m ringing them again now but this time I’m going to heed Kerry and tell them he has no TV licence. Glad he fixed the road cos that squad car will be revved up! ;)
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Fagan's 12/04/12 Report this commentIf Pee Flynn or Ahern are turned over by FF then they will carry most of the leading names of FF of the last 30 years with them. There would be more FF cllr’s and ex-ones in jail than in chambers.
This is why the FF National Exec. refused to condemn those named in the Mahon report, why it refused to censure them, and why it will refuse to report Flynn. There are many people in FF from the local cumann finance officer pocketing donations and enjoying church collection funded pub sessions all the way up to the TD/Minister receiving tens of thousands to have legislation amended etc etc.
Bertie Ahern, Pee Flynn etc would receive a standing ovation at the next FF Ard Fheis if they turned up, deep down they are admired by their party members for getting so much off the state and others, you can’t change a party that is rotten to the core.
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James Walsh 11/04/12 Report this commentCould somebody with a legal background explain why a formal complaint needs to be made before action can be taken? Does there alyways have to be a complaint by somebody in order for the Gardaí to investigate a crime? I always thought the CAB had considerable powers of investigation.
It seems crazy that the tribunal has reported in public that Flynn accepted a payment on behalf of Fianna Fail and then took it for himself and yet no action can be taken by the authorities.
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Alan Bolger 11/04/12 Report this commentGood question James and one the whole population of Ireland would love to know. Gangsters paradise.
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John Murphy 11/04/12 Report this commentI think the whole issue revolves around whether the Rozzers decide to persue a crime or just kinda by accident stumble on it James. Like for instance they can set up shop on a straight patch of the N11 and do ya for speeding or they can be just driving along, going home for their dinner say, and spot ya tareing past the ‘Nob an’ Socket’ pub and hawl ya in. Now that’s not the same, of course, as having yer fist in banjacksing the country, that involves prearranged visits to yer local station for a polite conversation and tea and buiscits and then…well, and then? Of course you always have the facility (in fact the obligation as an upstanding citizen) of phoning the local station to report a crime that they may not already be aware of. But then if allegations in relation to that crime have already been headline news you’d think they’d already kinda know about it.
Tell ya what, we could ring our local nick and see what they might tell us…The phrase ‘F Off’ is kinda spring to mind here.
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Justin Moffatt 11/04/12 Report this commentBanana Republic
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Chris Mansfield 11/04/12 Report this commentIt’s only the tip of the iceberg on this.
Gardai won’t pursue a case unless there is a complaint from the victim, with the exception of offences against children or cases where the victim is so badly injured they can’t make a complaint.
This has been abandoned in other countries because it was regarded as a wife-beater’s charter, but while domestic abuse is the most obvious example, it also counts against any offence where the perpetrator is in a position to intimidate the victim.
I have no idea why we still take this line here.
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Gary Kavanagh 11/04/12 Report this commentfor a theft to have happened there has to be an injured party. if the money was destined for fianna fail then they are the injured party and so it’s up to the party’s trustees to make the complaint
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Ryan oneill 11/04/12 Report this commentA nice little test for FF! Let’s see what happens…..
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Réada Quinn 11/04/12 Report this commentIt’s a test they will ultimately fail. But the Truth won’t fail. These parties are eating themselves from the inside out. No longer will deception be tolerated. The veil is lifting. Alleluia. ;)
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Tony Skillington 11/04/12 Report this commentSod all will happen Ryan because the entire Irish political system is one big club…FF don’t give a shit about anyone else only themselves and protecting their own hides…which is an exercise is futility as they are bajaxed for the next two elections anyway. What a play it would make to see Peeeeeee let all them cats out of the bag….knobhead might yet do this country a favour.
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Hugh Conaghan 11/04/12 Report this commentAs a Fianna Fáil member I would like to see the party take action on this issue. The behaviour of P.Flynn and people like him was simply unacceptable.
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Eamonn Connaghan 11/04/12 Report this commentDaddy?
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John Murphy 11/04/12 Report this commentThe behaviour of your damn party hasn’t been up to much either Hugh!
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Noddy Mooney 11/04/12 Report this commentYet you remain a member of a party riddled with corruption and cronyism. Pri*k Flynn is only the tip of the iceberg and you know it.
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Jack Dermody 11/04/12 Report this commentQuestion Hugh:
If Fianna Fail brought all the politicians that took money (under the premise that it was going to the party) to the civil court they could really help there ailing party finances.
P Flynns alone would be worth excess of €150k conservatively. FF look good as the guys going after corruption…
Just see a win win for FF.
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John Murphy 11/04/12 Report this commentThat’s a real Fianna Fail word there Hugh: ‘Unacceptable’. Why not try an’ stutter out de word ‘criminal’?
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Susie Chester 12/04/12 Report this commentHugh C
I am surprised that anyone is still a member of FFailures… Amazed . Fair play to you to admitting such a thing .
P Flynn ,B Aherne et al ,and their collective behavior brought Ireland to her knees. FF is finished , or should be …
Like John says Fianna Fail = criminal
Childers is fantastic , a strong honest ,speak as you find type of woman … Well done Nessa :)
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bob 11/04/12 Report this commentcould these self serving gangsters all have their pensions re-directed to crumlin hospital? It would make the country give one big sigh of relief to know our taxes are not buying french shirts!
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Kerry Blake 11/04/12 Report this commentFair dues to her. She’s not afraid to say what she thinks. Suspect she will end up running as an independent next time out. Established parties don’t like people taking an independent line and rocking the boat. Ireland need more politicians like Childers.
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dougal1969 11/04/12 Report this commentI didn’t see present government report Mr Lowry either. Should be same for all. The rest of us have to suffer the consequences of spineless politicians covering their own… Need to start from scratch again
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ian mc dermott 11/04/12 Report this commentFlynn and that corrupt daughter of his are the biggest scum bags mayo has ever produced, has every one noticed how our last overly priced tribunal suggested, TD’s who were found to have been corrupt would lose their pensions? Notice how all’s gone quite? That’s because each and every one of them are up to no good and if they pass a bill to revoke pensions of disgraced politicians, the axe may fall on them! no matter how bad they get not one political group has the balls to stand up and say enough!
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Taidi Mcnally 11/04/12 Report this commentIf I robbed a bank would I be ok as long as someone didn’t complain. The Garda need to learn to read and arrest him now. Its way overdue. Corruption is a crime. Or perhaps it will left to the citizens of Ireland to get some justice around here. Let’s make a citizens arrest of Flynn, Bertie , Cowan and co.
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Sheila Byrne 11/04/12 Report this comment@ Taidi
Right beside ya! When? :)
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Réada Quinn 11/04/12 Report this commentWe tried an #ArrestBertie tag but it didn’t take off. There was a #LetsBeatTheShiteOutaFlynn one too. I was surprised that one didn’t tho. It had a nice ring to it. ;)
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Bernadette Dunne 11/04/12 Report this commentI get the van
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THE GRINDER 11/04/12 Report this commentI suppose that she is becoming immune to the bullying phone calls from her ‘colleagues’ and now she can be the Labour party representative that we voted for.
Good on You Ms.Childers.
Your Irish government ‘colleagues’ wont be able to support you for another 11 months or so, thats when they will qualify for their ministerial pot of gold pension.
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Faceless Man 11/04/12 Report this commentWhen you see pictures of Bertie and Pee Flynn, they’re actually starting to resemble tumours. It’s like life imitating art. (if you count caricatures of fairy tale trolls art)
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Sheila Byrne 11/04/12 Report this comment@ Hugh Conaghan,
It’s very brave of you, anyone, to admit that they are a member, still, of F Fail. It’s up to us, the electorate, but more so, up to people like you to push M Martin on this. If M Martin wants to really disinfect F Fail let him prove it. Even if there is something there lurking in the corner on him (not saying there is). This horrible individual, that I find it hard to call a human being needs to be strung up by the b . lls! (sorry). As also aherne, etc.
Ireland is a great country and it is great because of my parents and their parents before them. As I can see it, we have destroyed everything they worked for. We have totally disrespected them and we need to fix it. Ireland will be at the top of the list of great countries again and our politics and politicians (all of them) will be known for the right reasons around the world. We need to do this for my children and their children. They’re Ireland’s future, not me, not you, not Flynn, aherne etc. …… it’s belonging to new Ireland.
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Sheila Byrne 11/04/12 Report this comment@ martin O Donnell
Martin, your a muppet!
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Frank2521 11/04/12 Report this commentNessa Childers deserves support for her integrity. De Rossa (aka Frank Rossi) abused her on the phone over the appointment of Cardiff – appalling considering her level of integrity and his lack of it. Sadly it is the likes of De Rossa and Cardiff who with the support of the our government who get their way.
It is not that many years ago that De Rossa was being followed 24/7 by the special branch for his activities.
Will the Garda be following Pee Wee?
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Howard Cooley 11/04/12 Report this commentI doubt very much that P Flynn or anyone else for tat matter will be prosecuted as a result of the “Mahon Tribunal”. FF, FG, Labour. Birds of a feather. They all wear different colours but are the same underneath.
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Frank2521 11/04/12 Report this commentNessa will have to run as an Independants as the Labour party are as bad as FF. look at Oisin Quinn breaking 4 rules of ethics as reported in the press. This was on a planning permission on a developement he was involved in. Yes 4 rules he broke – and worse again HE GOT THE APPROVAL.
All this while the tribunal was just finishing – the brass neck of him. Labour are finished as a party with principles – CORRUPT JUST LIKE FF.
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Sheila Byrne 11/04/12 Report this comment@Frank 2521
Just sick. We may have to get a bigger van (Bernadette!) a taser wouldn’t go a miss either! Stick it to their fat asses!
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Paul Anthony Ward 12/04/12 Report this commentAs an Fianna Fáiler, would like to see a complaint made, but would prefer that FF not accept the donation should the complaint be upheld. It’s a corrupt payment & is tainted.
Perhaps choose a charity & give it to them…
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Fagan's 12/04/12 Report this commentWhy don’t you as a leading member of Ogra FF make a complaint. Why don’t you get berate the FF Nat. Exec. for refusing to censure or even issue a statement condemning the actions of Flynn etc.
It’s not going to happen and we both know why. If Flynn starts talking he will have half of the people who have been FF TD’s over the last 30 being investigated for corruption and criminality.
As for calling the money tainted, no the man who took it is tainted, not the money. Look at M.Martin who had political donations from the tainted Mahon developer Owen o’Callaghan resting in his wife’s bank accounts. Standard practice as Michael pointed out but shouldn’t FF refund that money as well, if it is going to start giving tainted money back.
The airways are full of FF members and reps commentating about how their party is being renewed, is setting higher standards and is now an honest org. However we do not see any actual actions to suggest that that is the case.
By all
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Sheila Byrne 11/04/12 Report this comment@ To all!
3 cheers for Nessa Childers!
“Hip hip – hurray! Hip hip – hurray! Hip hip – hurray!
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Hugh Conaghan 12/04/12 Report this commentPeople seem surprised that I openly admitted my membership of The Fianna Fáil Party. Why shouldn’t I? I am proud to be one of this 50,000 member strong organisation. Also I was delighted to see P Flynn and his like forced out of my party. There has been a rot in my party since the Haughey era and I am only too happy to see it dug out. My family stood against Haughey in the 80s and I am proud that my Granda was in the so called gang of 22 and that my uncle was the first Cllr to call for Ahern to step aside. I have no intention of giving up on Fianna Fáil and why should I? Especially not now that the party membership effectively took control of their party and pushed through reforms at the recent Ard Fheis. To all those who refer to us as a spent force I simply say that Fianna Fáil will survive, this party is packed full of young energetic members as seen at the Ard Fheis. So you can have Ahern and you are most certainly welcome to Burke and Flynn but you can’t have Fianna Fáil.
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Martin O Donnell 11/04/12 Report this commentGeorge hook put that idiot childers in her place today on his show….well done george
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Rommel Burke 11/04/12 Report this commentMartin,Is Pee Flynn in your top 5 role models along with Bertie and Charlie now? and you calling Childers and idiot lol.
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Hairy Date 11/04/12 Report this commentThats one certified idiot talking about how another certified idiot put an alleged idiot in her place. George Hook is a fart in the wind. You obviously dig the smell.
Nessa Childers has more balls than you have brains
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Gary. 11/04/12 Report this commentYawn!!!