A Sligo councillor who’s the subject of an ethics investigation says a decision cannot be made in his case until High Court proceedings involving two other councillors are finalised.
Sligo Councillor Joe Queenan, Donegal Councillor John O Donnell and Monaghan Councillor Hugh McElvaney were the subject of separate ethics investigations by the Standards in Public Office following their appearance on an RTE investigative programme in December 2015.
In the RTE programme, a woman carried out separate, secretly-recorded interviews with all three councillors.
The interviews concerned a supposed wind farm, allegedly being developed by a foreign investment company, and represented by the woman who was, in fact, an undercover researcher.
Afterwards, Cllr McElvaney began judicial review proceedings in the High Court aimed at having the SIPO inquiry halted.
Cllr O Donnell now wants to be joined to those High Court proceedings.
A decision is expected in the coming days.
The SIPO hearings are on hold since last September because of Cllr McElvaney’s High Court move.
It’s understood the SIPO investigation of Cllr O Donnell and Cllr Queenan are much more advanced than that of Cllr McElvaney.
However, Cllr Queenan told Ocean FM News he is not part of the High Court proceedings.
But he added that they will have implications for him whether the other two councillors win or lose.
Cllr Queenan says for now, he’s ‘in limbo’ as far as his case is concerned.
