Lowry says he is not a criminal as motion of censure is passed

FORMER MINISTER Michael Lowry strongly attacked Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin before a motion of censure against him was passed in the Dáil without a vote.

In a speech lasting just under 10 minutes, he also insisted he was not a criminal, said he would continue to serve his constituents as a TD, and called on the Minister for Justice to ensure that any Garda inquiries be carried out quickly so that he could respond to whatever emerged.

The motion, based on the Moriarty tribunal report, was to be passed without debate, but Ceann Comhairle Sean Barrett said there was an obligation under “natural justice” to allow Mr Lowry to speak if he wished, a move Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore backed.

The motion stated: “The Dáil believes the conduct of Michael Lowry set out in the tribunal report was completely unacceptable, and calls on Deputy Lowry to resign voluntarily his membership of Dáil Éireann.”

Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald said it was “scandalous” that the Government was “once again prepared to accommodate” Mr Lowry, and that he had been given “unprecedented amounts of time”.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin also objected to the change and said it was “wrong”.

Catherine Murphy, whip for the Independents, said they had been categorically told there would be no debate, and had not been informed of any change.

However, Mr Lowry hit out at what he called Mr Martin’s “posturing”, and said Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte had given the Fianna Fáil leader “one of the best bushwhackings that I’ve seen in this House for a long time”.

It would not take long for the “wraps” to be taken off Mr Martin’s “clean-cut Steve Silvermint image” and when it did “I don’t think it will be smelling of mint”.

He said “Deputy McDonald’s sense of natural justice makes me want to retch”.

He would take no lectures on his behaviour from anybody in a party “associated with atrocities, mutilation, murder of civilians and unarmed gardaí”.

Mr Lowry told the House he had not asked for a right of reply, but was informed 10 minutes before the Dáil started that there was such a right.

He said after 16 years of investigation “there have never been any charges brought against me, I have never been convicted of any charge, and I remind the House that I’m not a criminal despite commentary to that effect”.

He did not want the Moriarty report to be “sitting in the Garda headquarters or sitting in the DPP’s office” indefinitely.

“I want a result, I want a decision, and I think I’m entitled to that after this prolonged period of time.”

Mr Lowry also believed that “probably nobody in this House has actually read the report”.

He repeated his view that the report was “seriously flawed”, and “does me and the civil servants involved a serious injustice”.

Since the inquiry started he had been “punished to an extraordinary extent”, “abused verbally”, “vilified” and there were times “when I felt humiliated”. He thanked “the members of this House who have shown kindness to me”, his family and friends.