Information coming thick and fast regarding the surprise news last night concerning the decision to investigate a complaint against Senator Rónán Mullen.

I have received a copy of the complaint made to the Seanad Committee on Members Interests by Martin O’Sullivan from the People Before Profit Alliance

Jody Blake
Committee on Members’ Interests of Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann
Leinster House,
Dublin 2

Dear Ms Blake

On RTE’s Drivetime program of Thursday 3rd June 2010 Senator Rónán Mullen claimed that an “elected representative” advised him to “claim that he was living in Galway for the purposes of claiming expenses”. According to Senator Mullen’s account this person stated that “if Senator Mullen was in the Seanad long enough he could get a house out of it”. Senator Mullen stated that he will “take to the grave” the name of this person.

As a citizen of this state and a person who ran for election to Dublin City Council I find this unacceptable. Senator Mullen clearly has knowledge of a person who advised him to carry out an unethical act and his silence is protecting this person. Senator Mullen’s stated reason for this is that this person may not have been serious however it is not his place to make this determination. This
determination should be made by The Commitee on Members’ Interests of Seanad Éireann

I sent Senator Mullen a letter on Sunday, July 18, 2010, requesting that he reveal this name, I also informed Senator Mullen that if he had not revealed the name I would issue a press statement calling on him to reveal this name. Senator Mullen responded to me stating once again “I will not be reporting the name of the person in question to the Committee on Members’ Interests.”

For too long wrongdoing has been protected in Ireland by a wall of secrecy. I wish to make a formal complaint to the Committee on Members’ Interests of Seanad Éireann, I request the Committee to:

1 Request Senator Rónán Mullen to publicly reveal the name of the person who advised him to claim he was living in Galway for the purposes of claiming expenses.

2 Take action against the person who gave this advise to Senator Mullen.

Yours sincerely

__________________________________
Martin O’Sullivan

Senator Mullen has this morning spammed people who have ever used his website (this includes those who have not indicated they wish to receive any information from him) with a statement saying he is not happy with yesterday’s statement from the Select committee.

You may have seen a potentially misleading report on the Nine o’ Clock news or in other media about the Seanad Select Committee’s investigation into politician’s expenses. The impression might have been given that some
impropriety regarding expenses may have been alleged against me to the
Committee. That is NOT the case. As my statement below makes clear, the
complaint, which emanates from a political group, concerns an incident I
described in the Seanad in which I said I had been encouraged to exaggerate
expense claims. I gave an interview to Morning Ireland shortly after 7 this
morning which you can access if you are interested and I enclose below the
statement which I issued last night after RTE’s Nine o’ Clock news.

I am extremely concerned by the unspecific nature of the statement released
by the Select Committee on Members’ Interests this evening, and by media
reports of same.

The Committee statement says that the “Committee has commenced
investigations into separate complaints made against Senators Larry Butler,
Ivor Callely, Ronan Mullen and Ann Ormonde.”

The Select Committee failed to specify that the complaint made against me
does not allege any impropriety on my part in the claiming of expenses. The
complaint against me is one made by the ‘People Before Profit’ group and
relates to an anecdote I told in the Seanad, and subsequently in the media,
about a casual conversation in which it was suggested to me by a member of
the Oireachtas at the time I joined the Seanad that I should claim expenses
from my home place in Galway, instead of from Dublin where I live. I told
this anecdote because I believed it might reflect the lax attitude to
expenses that pertained in some quarters in Leinster House. The complainant
says that I should reveal the name of the person who made this comment.

Given the justified anger about the misuse of expenses by politicians, the
failure to specify that the complaint against me does not relate to any
such impropriety on my part is very damaging. I have been consistently
among those who claim the least amount of expenses in Leinster House and I
have always acted in an appropriate fashion.

I would ask that the Select Committee reflect on the carelessness of this
statement and that they publish a more specific statement. I will be
seeking an urgent meeting with the Chairman of the Committee. I am seeking
an opportunity to go on the RTE television news to clarify the situation.
In the meantime I ask that any media reporting this story clarify matters
as a matter of urgency.