The fact that Meath County Council has retained a Solicitor to give advice on how to respond to SIPO’s findings of serious contraventions by former FF councillor Tommy Reilly is absolutely extraordinary.
That’s according to Aontú Cllr Emer Tóibín who says that given the Council has had three and a half months to consider its response to the very serious SIPO findings into former Fianna Fáil councillor Tommy Reilly, it is incomprehensible that instead of offering clarity and transparency , the council has now muddied the waters even more.
She says
“I am really flabbergasted at this turn of events. Councillors were brought into an unscheduled private meeting yesterday morning and presented with legal advice from Kilkenny-based solicitor Michael Lanigan, a former Fianna Fáil councillor and existing party member.
He was contracted by Meath County Council to advise the 40 Meath councillors on how to respond to the debacle surrounding Tommy Reilly. However instead of receiving clear, case-specific legal guidance which was scheduled for the public session, we received over 40 minutes of broad, generic commentary on compliance, with very little addressing the central issue at hand.
This is déjà vu.
Way back in 2020 I asked for the terms of reference into MCC’s internal inquiry into Mr .Reilly and all councillors received was a half-page document. The inquiry by the council into its own processes and its findings were opaque and I found this wholly unacceptable
Let’s remind ourselves of SIPO’s findings into former FF Cllr Tommy Reilly
“SIPO found that Tommy Reilly broke ethical rules by not ‘updating his register of interests’. It adjudged that three of the four alleged contraventions were indeed breached and breached ‘recklessly’.
SIPO is unequivocal in its judgement. It states in its 29-page report that as Tommy Reilly was a highly experienced and long serving councillor, he wasn’t a ‘newbie’ and he should have known better.
Lasy year I wrote to SIPO (Standards in Public Office) in a bid to discern what penalties, if any, can be applied to Tommy Reilly and or indeed the party he represented for decades, namely Fianna Fail. There has to be accountability for wrongdoing, otherwise this judgement, while hugely welcome, is quite hollow”.
He’s gone from public life, he lost his seat so how do we ever ensure he is held accountable for his involvement in planning irregularities at Meath County Council meetings, specifically concerning lands acquired by his sons”.
SIPO does not impose penalties. It refers its findings to the Chief Executive, the Minister, and the Council for action.
Despite this, MCC’s previous “internal review” concluded the breaches were “inadvertent” and warranted no disciplinary action, a conclusion, we all know, is impossible to reconcile with SIPO’s report.
I asked the Chief Executive why MCC could not set a precedent to restore public trust and he replied that there had never been sanctions against a former councillor.
This may indeed be true but there is a first time for everything, and the integrity of this Council requires it.
There is also an issue of conflict of interest–
Is it appropriate for a former Fianna Fáil councillor and existing member of Fianna Fáil to advise Meath County Council on sanctions arising from serious SIPO findings against another former Fianna Fáil councillor?
Even if there is no technical conflict, the appearance of political partiality is undeniable. It undermines confidence in the independence of this process.
When I put this directly to the Chief Executive afterwards, he replied that he had sought “the best legal advice in the business.”
That does not address the issue of perception and governance is not just about legality; it is about public trust.
So I am reiterating these questions publicly:
- Has the Chief Executive satisfied himself that no real or perceived conflict of interest exists in appointing a former Fianna Fáil councillor to advise on this case?
- What steps will Meath County Council now take in response to SIPO’s findings of serious ethics breaches?
These questions are not about personalities or party colours.
They are about integrity, transparency, and accountability in local government.
Every public representative has a duty to uphold those standards, and the people of Meath deserve nothing less.
To my mind, it is a further blow to transparency that the FF chair moved to conclude the matter, following the Chief Executive’s lead that no sanction should be imposed on disgraced former councillor Tommy Reilly”.
