"Enda Kenny Knew of Allegations of Forsey's Illegal Acts in 2007 But Failed to Act

[C. Flower]

According to today's Sunday Independent, Enda Kenny, and others in the Fine Gael leadership, was told of allegations against Fine Gael Councillor Fred Forsey in 2007, but failed to act.

In some jurisdictions, there is a much stronger requirement than in Ireland to report crime.

Kenny and Fine Gael have to some extent tried to distance themselves from Fine Fail type sleeze, but increasingly look no different at all. The relatively muted response from Fine Gael and the other main parties to the Wallace case, with none calling on him to resign, is not really surprising. It is all the more regrettable that the Socialist Party, in distinction from the other Technical Group members, has taken a very soft line on Wallace's tax compliance issues.

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...7-3154565.html

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and senior Fine Gael figures were made aware of corruption allegations surrounding the Fred Forsey case as early as 2007, yet failed to act.

Waterford TD John Deasy brought the matter to the attention of his party leader and other colleagues during a meeting which was also attended by current party chairman Charles Flanagan.

In a watershed moment in Irish politics, Forsey, a former Fine Gael Dungarvan councillor, was last week sentenced to six years in prison with the last two years suspended after being found guilty on six counts of corruption .

In a separate complaint, a letter was sent to Fine Gael HQ last week by two Waterford councillors -- Ann Marie Power and Maxine Keoghan -- castigating the inaction of Fine Gael from "the outset of the investigation".

The complaint points to a deep divide within Fine Gael on the matter of response to the allegations.

"The details of this case were disclosed to Fine Gael at every level from the outset. Fine Gael management was given every opportunity to avoid the current turmoil in Waterford County but remains paralysed and unable to satisfactorily advise its elected members. This situation was totally avoidable," the complaint said.

Ms Power yesterday said she is "deeply disappointed" in Mr Kenny's lack of response to the serious matters at the heart of this saga.

"I thought I had a good relationship with him, but he and the top brass have simply brushed this under the carpet, it is appalling," she said.

In a seering critique of Mr Kenny and senior party figures, Ms Power and Ms Keoghan called on the Taoiseach to give strong leadership even if it means making tough decisions.

"Leadership is required and often hard decisions are required as a part of that leadership," the councillors said.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Independent has confirmed that Mr Kenny's attention was brought to the Forsey corruption scandal as far back as 2007, immediately after Forsey's ex-wife Jenny approached local TD John Deasy with the revelations.

Mr Deasy, accompanied by the party's then justice spokesman Charlie Flanagan, met with Mr Kenny in 2007 and he gave them a full appraisal of what he had been told and what he had told gardai.

There appears to be a lot of frustration from some Fine Gael councillors about Kenny turning his back on complaints about Forsey and a meeting is to be held this week.

[ang]

Considering the reaction of Fine Gael to Moriarty and Mahon it comes as no great shock that leadership policy in FG was/is to turn a blind eye and keep everything under the carpet so as not to damage any "power grab" chances.

All these rezonings needed votes in council chambers, FG were not going to miss out they are as complicit as FF in bringing us to where we are regarding local planning and NAMA.

[Baron von Biffo]

Echoes of Brute Senior's 'There's no saints in FG'.

[PaddyJoe]

The thick plottens:

TWO Fine Gael councillors are facing disciplinary action for refusing to support a party colleague who voted to rezone the land at the heart of the Fred Forsey corruption trial.

Mr Forsey, a former Fine Gael councillor, was given a six-year jail sentence last week.

Fine Gael has never looked into the actions of the seven sitting councillors who voted for the controversial rezoning.

Yet councillors Ann Marie Power and Maxine Keoghan, who didn't vote for the rezoning, have been summoned to an internal disciplinary hearing and risk being thrown out of the party.

The inquiry follows their failure to vote for their Fine Gael colleague Lola O'Sullivan in the contest for mayor of Tramore last month. Ms O'Sullivan lost out on the position.

The pair refused to vote for her because she voted in favour of the rezoning of the controversial land in Waterford in 2008. Ms Power voted against the controversial rezoning and Ms Keoghan

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...g-3159270.html

[Baron von Biffo]

The two councillors who voted against the Forsey rezoning are fighting FG head office moves to have them turfed out of the party.

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...w-3256448.html