IVOR CALLELY was re-elected to an influential position on an international organisation three weeks after being told by the Government he could no longer be the Irish delegate.
The beleaguered Senator, who resigned from Fianna Fáil last week, attended the annual session of the parliamentary assembly of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Oslo, Norway, in July this year.
At the conference, Mr Callely was re-elected unanimously as vice-chair of the second committee, which deals with economic, environmental and regulatory affairs. The position is for a period of one year.
However, Government Chief Whip John Curran wrote to the Oireachtas Commission on June 22nd to inform it that he had “discharged” Mr Callely from his position as Irish delegate to the OSCE assembly. Mr Curran’s office confirmed yesterday that Mr Callely was informed of his removal at that time.
A spokesman for Mr Curran said yesterday that the Chief Whip allowed Mr Callely to attend the annual OSCE meeting in Oslo in July as a special dispensation.
This was to allow him to participate in the launch of a report which he had authored. The spokesman said it was a “standalone engagement” and Mr Callely was fully aware of that. Mr Callely was suspended from the Seanad by its Committee on Members Interests upon his return from Norway the following week.
The OSCE website notes that Mr Callely was re-elected unanimously to the vice-chair of one of the three standing committees.
The Whip’s office also said yesterday that it is the intention of the Government to remove Mr Callely from all positions he holds on Oireachtas committees once the Seanad resumes.
Mr Callely is a member of the Enterprise, Trade and Employment committee as well as the Foreign Affairs Committee. A resolution and vote in the Seanad will be required to remove him from both committees. Mr Callely is also an associate member of the British-Irish Parliamentary Body.
The Senator will be suspended from the Seanad for 20 days in the autumn session following the adverse finding of the Committee on Members Interests on his travel expenses – he claimed some €80,000 over two years by designating a west Cork address as his normal place of residence.
The committee is now investigating two other complaints made against Mr Callely. The first relates to his claim of over €3,000 in expenses for mobile phone equipment, using receipts from a defunct company. The second relates to his alleged failure to declare all the property owned by him in his statutory parliamentary declarations.