THE COUNTY MANAGER of Roscommon County Council has ‘utterly rejected’ allegations that he ‘sorted out’ an incident where local TD Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan had two penalty points removed from his driving licence.

Frank Dawson said he assumed he was the official to which Flanagan was referring to in the Dáil last night when he explained the circumstances under which two offences, for using his mobile phone while on Oireachtas business, including one occasion when he was travelling to a council meeting in December 2011.

Flanagan said he had mentioned his incident to a ‘senior council official’, who later called him to say he had “sorted out my penalty points issue for me”.

In a statement this afternoon, Dawson said he assumed he was the official involved “as he did mention in a conversation with me in December 2010 [sic] that he was stopped by An Garda Siochana for using a mobile phone whilst driving, outside the Council offices.”

“I utterly reject his allegations that I ‘sorted out his penalty points issue for him’,” Dawson said, saying he would “take all necessary steps to protect my good name and reputation”.

Today I am forwarding my account of this matter to the Assistant Commissioner of An Garda Siochana in charge of the investigation. In this context it would not be appropriate to comment any further at this time.

Dawson had been due to travel to the United States for the St Patrick’s Day festivities, as part of a council delegation, but is understood to now be remaining in Ireland.

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