Ex-FF cllr in ‘reckless’ breach of ethics rules

The Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) has found that former Fianna Fáil Meath county councillor Tommy Reilly contravened public ethics legislation and that he did so “recklessly”.

It follows a two-day hearing carried out by the public ethics watchdog in June which centred on a plot of land that was ultimately owned by Mr Reilly’s son and which increased eightfold in value after being rezoned by Meath County Council.

The hearing was told that what Mr Reilly knew and when, regarding a conflict of interest over the plot of land located on the outskirts of Navan that was ultimately owned by one and then two of his sons, was at the centre of the matter.

The site was bought for €500,000 in 2016, rezoned by the council the following year and then went on the market for €4.2m.

Mr Reilly, who was the outgoing cathaoirleach of the council at the time, lost his seat on Meath County Council in the local elections in June of last year.

He had held that council seat in the Navan Local Electoral Area for Fianna Fáil for 27 years.

An internal investigation by Meath County Council previously found that while Mr Reilly had excused himself from the vote which reclassified the land in question, he “inadvertently” broke ethical rules by not “updating his register of interests”.

However, Mr Reilly has always maintained that he believed he acted in good faith and that he had met his statutory and ethical obligations by disclosing a conflict of interest and absenting himself from consideration of the particular matter at a special planning meeting of the full council on 19 July 2017.

Today, the commission published its verdict following the two-day investigation hearing it held in June.

It found that Mr Reilly contravened the legislation surrounding a conflict of interest in a case of this nature.

Of the four alleged contraventions that the commission investigation, it found that three had been breached and these breaches had been committed “recklessly”.

The commission also found that these were serious, as opposed to minor, matters.