FIANNA FÁIL TD Malcolm Byrne has said he is “fully cooperating” with an ongoing investigation following his arrest on suspicion of drink-driving earlier this year.

Byrne was arrested early on 28 May while he was travelling from a hotel in Dublin to Dublin Airport.

It was recently reported that Byrne is suspected of having been almost two-and-a-half times over the legal alcohol limit.

In a statement in June, Fianna Fáil said Byrne was stopped at a mandatory garda checkpoint in the city centre, close to the hotel, and was subsequently arrested on suspicion of drink-driving.

Byrne previously said that he informed Fianna Fáil of his arrest immediately after it happened.

He also stepped down as chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on AI and remarked that he did so “totally without prejudice to the ongoing legal process”.

During an appearance this morning on South East Radio, Byrne was asked about a “possible impending court case”.

Byrne replied that he has been “as open and honest with people as I always have been”.

He added that he has “never been afraid” to speak on “any of these issues”.

Byrne remarked that there has been “all sorts of speculation” but added that he doesn’t “have a court date as yet”.

“I’m fully cooperating with what is an ongoing investigation, and as I said, I’ll face up to whatever the consequences are,” said Byrne.

He added: “I respect the court process, I respect the gardaí and the work that they have to do, and I’m fully cooperating with that.

“As soon as I’m in a position to be able to talk about it, I will certainly talk about it.”

When asked about media reports that Byrne will appear before a court in Dublin in November, he replied: “All I can say is I don’t have a court date as yet, but I can’t comment any further on any of those issues.”

In a previous appearance on South East Radio in the days following his arrest, Byrne remarked that “drink-driving is wrong, full stop” and added that he will “face up to whatever happens”.

Meanwhile, party leader and Taoiseach Micheál Martin last week told reporters at the Fianna Fáil think-in that he would not “pre-empt the outcome of any court case in respect of any particular individual at this stage”.

“We keep everything under review,” he added, “but there is no precedent in any political party for issues pertaining to the whip having applied to motoring offences, be they drink-driving offences or be they speeding offences.

“I think there’s been an attempt made to suggest that I’m somehow at odds with precedent or what’s happened, and that’s false.

“The courts are where the repercussions are going to happen.

“We will keep everything under review ourselves politically as a party, but the courts is where accountability has to happen in respect of this.”