Witness in John Perry case against FG to make statement

Witness understood to be willing to detail allegations against members of Fine Gael

A witness alleged to have been put under pressure not to give evidence in a case taken against Fine Gael is expected to make a public statement in the coming days.

The Irish Times understands the individual is willing to publicly detail allegations he has made against a number of high-profile members of the party.

The witness was involved in a High Court case taken by former Fine Gael TD John Perry against Fine Gael.

Mr Perry had taken and won a court case against the party and its handling of a selection convention in the constituency when he failed to win a nomination.

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However, he was later added to the ticket after successfully challenging the case.

Mr Perry and the witness have now both written to Fine Gael outlining their concerns over the party’s actions in the lead-up to the High Court challenge.

The two pieces of correspondence were considered by the trustees at a meeting in the party’s headquarters on Tuesday night.

It is understood that the witness, who had been subpoenaed to attend the case and who later gave evidence, is willing to release the letter sent to the party.

Allegation

The Irish Times has also learned the party's general secretary, Tom Curran, is to address Fine Gael parliamentary party members in September and will detail his response to the allegations.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Enda Kenny yesterday met a number of Fine Gael TDs who have compiled a report into the party’s general election result.

The TDs, who include Dublin Bay South TD Kate O'Connell, Dún Laoghaire TD Maria Bailey and Dublin Fingal TD Alan Farrell, held a lengthy meeting to discuss their findings.

Critical

It is understood the report was issued to Mr Kenny over recent days and he sought a meeting to address some of the points raised.

The TDs are said to be highly critical of “unelected officials” who they say played a significant role in the party’s poor performance.

It is understood to also call for a person to be appointed to prevent leaks from the parliamentary party meetings.

The recommendation is contained in a report into Fine Gael’s disastrous general election and the party’s internal structures, which was carried out by four backbenchers and delivered to Mr Kenny last Thursday evening.

One source said Mr Kenny “did all the talking” at the meeting and issued his response to each of the findings made.

The report by the TDs is to be issued to the parliamentary party over the coming weeks for discussion.

A separate body of work is being conducted by Dr Marion Coy, who leads the Fine Gael think tank, the Michael Collins Institute. This work is understood to be nearly finished.