SIPO sitting underway on Senator O’Domhnaill’s alleged duplication of expenses

SIPO, The Standards in Public Office Commission is sitting this (Monday) morning to investigate the alleged duplication of expenses claims by Fianna Fail Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill.
The allegations relate to when Senator O’Domhnaill was a member of Donegal County Council.
The Commission was due to begin a public session concerning the expenses matter in June 2012 but that was put on hold after Mr Ó Domhnaill secured leave from the High Court to bring his challenge.
In his judicial review proceedings, Mr Ó Domhnaill claimed the Commission was not entitled to deal with the matters because, he claimed, they arose from an anonymous complaint by a member of the public.
Alternatively, he sought orders requiring the case to be heard by a Commission comprising members who are bilingual and able to conduct and understand the proceedings without the assistance of an interpreter
Last year, the court of appeal rejected the appeal by the Senator clearing the way for today’s proceedings.