FORMER TAOISEACH BERTIE Ahern yesterday resigned his membership of the Fianna Fáil party he led for 13 years – meaning it won’t vote to expel him.
Former minister Pádraig Flynn and councillor John Hannon joined Bertie in jumping before they were pushed, after the Mahon Tribunal made findings against them.
But several other party figures are yet to hand in their resignations, and will still face a vote of expulsion at Friday’s Ard Comhairle. Here’s who they are – and what the Tribunal said:
Don Lydon
Don Lydon, a former Dublin councillor who was also a Fianna Fáil senator, was found to have received corrupt payments from the Monarch property development firm as it lobbied for rezoning of lands at Cherrywood in south Dublin.
He was also found to have solicited a payment of IR£1,000 in 1991 over the Quarryvale development.
Finbarr Hanrahan
The Tribunal’s report found that ex-councillor Hanrahan corruptly solicited money from developer Owen O’Callaghan, and said he was “not averse to seeking money from developers”.
It also said that in all probability he received either IR£2,000 or IR£2,500 from lobbyist Frank Dunlop in return for his support for the Quarryvale development.
GV Wright
GV Wright, an ex-TD for Dublin North and former Fianna Fáil senator, was among the councillors who received corrupt payments from Monarch over the Cherrywood rezoning.
He also received IR£10,000 from Dunlop and O’Callaghan, which the report found was a corrupt payment to “ensure” his “ongoing support” for the Quarryvale project.
TheJournal.ie understands that Wright has indicated his intention to resign his party membership ahead of Friday’s meeting.
Albert Reynolds
Ógra Fianna Fáil have said they will ask the party’s national executive to vote on a motion for Reynolds’ expulsion. However, it’s understood that the vote will not be taken at the meeting this Friday, as seven days’ notice is required under party rules.
Reynolds was not found to be corrupt by the Tribunal, which excused him from giving evidence on grounds of ill health. However, the report found that while Taoiseach he had requested a donation totalling IR£80,000 from developer Owen O’Callaghan, who was lobbying for permission for a stadium project at the time.
The Tribunal said it was ”entirely inappropriate, and was an abuse of political power and government authority” to engage in “pressuring” a businessman in this way.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say