Nobody can stop them.
A TD or Senator has run up significant bills by making dozens of expensive calls to a single African number yet confidentiality rules prohibit the Oireachtas from finding out who is responsible.
Records released by the Oireachtas show that the Kenyan mobile was the destination number for 38 out of the 100 most expensive calls during late 2011 and 2012.
In 2013, the number of calls to the phone reduced somewhat, but it still remained responsible for 16 out of the 100 most expensive calls made that year.
Authorities at Leinster House are powerless to contact the politician’s office responsible to ask them to cut down the cost or to use a free service like Skype.
They have however, been able to contact the owner of the Kenyan mobile number but have said they are prohibited by law from finding out what TD or Senator is responsible.
Anyone?
Politician’s €2,000 bill in calls to one Kenyan mobile phone (RTÉ)
Part of an eye-popping haul of parliamentary expenses garnered by Ken Foxe at the RTÉ Investigations Unit.
View the full database here
How Fidelma Got Her Groove Back.
Mick wasn’t spending his on clothes anyway.
Hows Sean Barrett at the top when he only travels down the bloody rock road?
http://www.rte.ie/news/investigations-unit/2015/0120/674364-no-expenses-spared/
It would be his allowance as Ceann Comhairle that brings him to the top. the salary top up for this is paid as an allowance on top of their basic TD salary. Table is misleading in that way. Its not a true comparison of expenses because it isn’t comparing like with like.
Are expenses still unvouched? That always struck me as somewhat ridiculous. The ‘honour system’ in place, given Ireland’s historical politicians…
yes they are still unvouched, the spin is they are vouched but they don’t have to send in the expense receipts, they only audit 10% of them each year.
they are vouched. You have to have receipts to back them up
vouched expenses would entail sending them in to your employer would it not
Deputy Michelle “thou shalt not fornicate” Mulherin’s “good friend” is from Kenya.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2133351/Fornication-row-TDs-little-secret-Deputys-partner-lovechild–girlfriend-17-years-junior.html
Hehe!
I’d read it but, as it is the Daily Mail, I would have to douse everything in bleach afterwards.
tds also claimed millions in mileage but the details are unknown. However us mere mortals are obliged to keep a log of all our journeys where mileage is claimed.
Did one of our politicians get caught up in a 419 scam, these desperate calls in the hope that their contact did really manage to get the “special chemical” to wash off all that black dye??