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Carn man's complaint upheld
07.12.09
INISHOWEN man Fiachra Ó
Luain has welcomed plans to investigate his
complaint about the handling of a Garda
investigation into the misallocation of 3,000 votes
during the European election count last June.
The Garda Ombudsman has upheld part of a complaint
made by the former North West Independent candidate
and has now asked the Garda Commissioner Fachtna
Murphy to investigate.
Mr Ó Luain made a formal complaint to Gardaí about
the misallocation of ballots during the counting of
European election votes in Castlebar, last June.
After Libertas candidate Declan Ganley requested a
recount, it was discovered that Mr Ganley had been
credited, in error, with 3,000 of Mr Ó Luain’s first
preference votes. Mr Ó Luain claims the subsequent
Garda investigation of his complaint was inadequate.
In his letter to the Garda Ombudsman, Mr Ó Luain
claimed that a named Garda "completed an inadequate
investigation, declining to interview various
witnesses, and that he forwarded an inadequate file
to the DPP”. The Garda Commissioner will now
investigate this part of Mr Ó Luain’s complaint. |
The Ombudsman’s office
has written to Mr Ó Luain saying: “The Garda
Ombudsman has considered the allegations of
misbehaviour made in your complaint and has
determined that your complaint is part admissible.”
The Ombudsman has also informed Mr Ó Luain that,
depending on the result of the investigation,
disciplinary proceedings may be taken. He can also
have the matter |
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reviewed by the
Ombudsman if he is not satisfied with the
investigation.
Mr Ó Luain says he will now be writing to the
returning officer and the Minister for the
Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John
Gormley, "requesting a fresh start and full
co-operation with getting to the bottom of the
case".
"The seeded favourites are always given the benefit
of the doubt in controversial circumstances. Like
Ireland in the World Cup, I may not have gone on to
win a seat in Europe, however, myself, Michael
McNamara and the the 20,000 people who gave us their
first preference votes, were all disenfranchised and
ignored when we called for fairplay.
"Unlike the FAI, I am not requesting a free seat in
the European Parliament. All I want is a proper
investigation into what happened. Maybe we should
introduce video refs at all the count centres," he
quipped. |
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