Taoiseach refuses to comment on O’Donoghue controversy
Taoiseach Brian Cowen has said the Ceann Comhairle John O'Donoghue is dealing with his own matters in his own way.
According to reports, now-retired Garda Thomas Noonan, who stopped Mr O’Donoghue's State Mercedes for speeding nine years ago said the Ceann Comhairle was definitely in the car at the time.
Mr O'Donoghue maintains he was not in the car that night.
Speaking in Dublin at a Lisbon Treaty conference, Brian Cowen refused to comment on the reports.
The former Justice Minister had denied on national radio that he was in the car. He told the Dáil on October 3, 2000 that the car only contained members of his family and a friend.
He said: "I have openly made it known that the passengers in the car were my wife and children along with a family friend, all of whom were returning from Dublin, where they had spent the day with me attending the All-Ireland Hurling final."
The Minister claimed he had remained in Dublin "for business reasons".
Noonan claims in the report that he personally saw Minister O’Donoghue in the car.
He states: "John O’Donoghue was definitely in the car that night. He was sitting in the passenger seat."
The retired Garda also described the type of clothing he says he saw the Minister wearing and where he was allegedly sitting in the car.
Fine Gael Justice spokesman Charlie Flanagan is now calling on the former justice Minister and current Ceann Comhairle to respond to these fresh allegations from the retired Garda.
"This is a serious allegation," said Flanagan.
"If true, it would appear that John O’Donoghue misled and lied to the Dáil. He must immediately clarify this matter.
"These allegations, if true, also raise the disturbing prospect of Ministerial interference. Thomas Noonan claims he stopped John O’Donoghue’s Ministerial car when he was engaged in ‘a special safety patrol which was ordered by Minister O’Donoghue following his statement about zero tolerance on the roads’.
"If it transpires that John O’Donoghue was in the car, it raises serious questions over the original investigation of the matter by the Gardaí."
