[ad_1]
Two politicians who allegedly hosted the infamous Golfgate dinner will be charged with violating Covid-19 regulations.
Ardaí is prosecuting four people for organizing the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner, which led to serious political consequences.
The sanction for the infractions are fines of up to € 2,500 and up to six months in prison.
Former Fianna Fáil TD Donie Cassidy and independent TD Noel Grealish will be subpoenaed in a Co Galway district court in connection with allegations that they organized the event.
Cassidy was the president of the society and Grealish was the president.
The other two people to be prosecuted are not public figures and were involved in organizing the dinner at the hotel’s address in Clifden, Co Galway.
A Garda spokesperson confirmed: “A Garda Síochána has received instructions from the DPP regarding the prosecution of four people for organizing an event in contravention of health regulations at a business premises in Galway in August 2020. Subpoenas have been filed. before the courts and District Court dates are awaited in relation to each of the individuals. An Garda Síochána will not comment further. “
The health regulations in question are Section 31A (6) (a) and (12) of the Health Act of 1947 (as amended by Section 10 of the Health Act (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures of Interest Public) of 2020.
To close
Former Fianna Fáil TD Donie Cassidy
The Garda criminal investigation into the infamous Golfgate dinner was completed last month and a file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
The investigation focused on whether more than 50 people attended the event. The 80 dinner guests were divided into separate areas to be categorized as separate gatherings, which were allowed.
However, Gardaí investigated both the Galway golf event dinner organizers and the address of the Station House Hotel in Clifden, Co Galway. Several of the politicians who attended the event were also interviewed by Gardaí. Although the event took place in August, some of the attendees were only questioned towards the end of last year. Several guests were given the option of making a statement in writing or in person to Gardaí.
Attendance at the event included a cabinet minister, a European commissioner, a Supreme Court judge and several TDs and senators.
The investigation conducted by the local Gardaí in Galway focused on possible breaches of Covid-19 regulations and the organization of the event.
The political fallout from the event saw the resignation of then-Agriculture Minister Dara Calleary and six senators from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael lost the party whip. Those six senators were reinstated in their respective parliamentary parties by Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar last week. Former Fianna Fáil TD Donie Cassidy, one of the event’s alleged organizers, resigned as vice president of the party.
Then-European Commissioner Phil Hogan also resigned after further controversy over his travels across the country.
Supreme Court Justice Seamus Woulfe, a former Attorney General, came under intense pressure to resign.
However, an investigation into the Woulfe case by former Chief Justice Susan Denham found that there was no violation of the law by attending the event.
The organizers assured attendees that the Covid-19 regulations were complied with and that the hotel was using the guidelines for the reopening of hotels and pensions from June 2020 of the Government, Fáilte Ireland and the Irish Hotels Federation, which applied the August 19 when the event took place. . Denham’s report also provided details on the design of the rooms where the dinner took place and the division of the venue to separate the guests into two different groups of those under 50.
The government had decided to tighten Covid-19 restrictions the previous day with indoor events reduced from 50 people to just six people. However, these regulations had not yet entered into legal force.
This week Calleary told Virgin Media that he does not expect any personal charges related to the Golfgate dinner.
“I absolutely regret and apologize for attending. I’m sorry for the anger and pain, in particular the pain I caused by attending, ”Calleary said.
“We will let the DPP decide. And one thing I learned from last year is to take one day at a time, ”he added.
The six senators were reinstated to their respective parliamentary parties by Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar in January.
Former Fianna Fáil TD Donie Cassidy, one of the event organizers, resigned as vice president of the party.
Hogan said he did not violate any laws, but that he “should have been more rigorous” in complying with Covid guidelines.
“I reiterate my sincere apology to the Irish people for the mistakes I made during my visit,” he added.
On Monday, Judge Seamus Woulfe sat down with Judge George Birmingham, one of the judges he has accused of subjecting him to a “disturbing and traumatic” test following the golfgate controversy last year.
It was his first public hearing since Chief Justice Frank Clarke told him last November that, as a result of his attendance at a golf event that the chief justice found he had violated public guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid- 19, would not be on the sit down list until February 2021.
Gardai previously said they would investigate the dinner under alleged violations of the Health Act of 1947 (Section 31A-Temporary Restrictions) (COVID-19) (No 3) Regulations 2020.
Under these regulations at the time, the law stated that no more than 50 people could attend an indoor event.
Online editors
[ad_2]