January 13, 2019 · Issue no 10,140 · thesundaytimes.ie

Bertie Ahern has urged Britain topostpone its departure from theEU until the end of 2020 to avoidthe mayhem of a no-deal Brexit.

“If I was them, that’s what Iwould do,” said the former tao-iseach, as MPs in Westminster pre-pare to vote on the withdrawalagreement on Tuesday.

“It would mean them staying onthe same basis as now, and theyprobably won’t want this long tran-sition period, but it’s better thanno deal.”

Ahern believes the March 29departure date is untenable andthinks the EU would agree toextend it if the UK asked.

“To talk about this being able to

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a clear and present danger to allgovernment business. Withoutcontrol of the order paper, thegovernment has no control overthe House of Commons and theparliamentary business and legis-lation necessary to progress gov-ernment policies. The governmentwould lose its ability to govern.”

A senior government sourcesaid May and her aides were “shell-shocked” and declared: “Thiscould be game over for Brexit.”

Another added: “This soundsvery like a very British coup — andone that has profound implica-tions for democracy.”

Crucially, Commons sources saythe Speaker, John Bercow, is likelyto allow the gambit to proceed. Itcan now be revealed that one of therebel ringleaders, former attorney-general Dominic Grieve, visitedBercow in his official residence onTuesday, the day before theSpeaker tore up Commons rules tohelp remainer MPs.

Last night, Grieve refused todeny he was examining plans toseize control of the Commonstimetable. “I have no doubt lots ofpeople may be looking at all sortsof ideas since we are in a deepeningnational political crisis,” he said.

Britain will leave the EU onMarch 29 unless there is a new actof parliament overturning existingBrexit legislation. Senior Brexit-eers assume this is not possible asthe government controls the time-table of Commons business. Theplot, which May’s aides believe is

being orchestrated by Sir OliverLetwin, an ally of David Cameron,would torpedo that assumption.

If, as expected, May loses thecrunch vote on Tuesday evening,she must table a new plan by thefollowing Monday. Tory whipsbelieve plotters would then tablean amendment to May’s plan (orthe business motion that precedesit), proposing that future motionssetting out the business of theHouse could be tabled by non-government members. If thatpasses, MPs, not ministers, couldshape the future of Brexit.

Tomorrow night, members ofthe “Norway group”, which backsmembership of the single market,will meet to discuss their plans.That group includes Letwin, NickBoles, Nicky Morgan and Labour’sStephen Kinnock.

Boles last night confirmed hewants to make it illegal to leavewith no deal. He said: “We have amechanism which will give parlia-ment control of the Brexit negotia-tions and ensure we do not leavethe EU without a deal on March 29.To change a law you need to pass alaw. I am working on ways toachieve that outcome. We will bepublishing it on Tuesday.”

Labour’s Chris Leslie is alsodeveloping plans to cut off minis-ters’ salaries unless No 10 abides bythe rulings of the Commons.

Even before the plot was uncov-ered, The Sunday Times had learntMPs were plotting to get Bercow to

Revealed: plot to seize control from British PM

Top official rapped for breaking High Court windowsMark Tighe

BYRNE HELPS LEINSTER TORCH TOULOUSE

Ahern: UK must postpone Brexit

jurisdiction. “He intends to imple-ment it as soon as possible toaddress the health harms andfinancial costs associated withharmful alcohol consumption,”the spokesman said.

Retailers and alcohol industrylobbyists claim introducing mini-mum unit pricing without thesame arrangement in NorthernIreland will cause a surge in cross-border shopping. The measure willresult in a minimum price of 10cper gram of alcohol.

Thomas Burke, director ofRetail Ireland, warned that push-ing ahead with minimum unit

pricing without waiting for Stor-mont would cause concern amongretailers. He said: “We want toavoid introducing something thatmay have a distortive impact ontrade, particularly in the borderregion, which has its challengesat the best of times concerningfluctuating currency.

“We would be worried aboutanything that could drive furtherfootfall north, and out of shops inborder regions.”

According to the latest Kantarreport, Irish shoppers spent€64.5m on groceries in NorthernIreland in the 12 months to Novem-

Alcohol price move won’t wait for Stormont

Tim Shipman Political Editor

Theresa May has been warned thather government “will lose its abilityto govern” after Downing Streetuncovered a plot by senior MPs toseize control of Brexit negotiationsand sideline the UK prime minister.

A cross-party group of seniorbackbenchers — including formerTory ministers — plan what onesenior figure branded a “very Brit-ish coup” if May loses the crunchvote on her Brexit deal on Tuesday.

At least two groups of rebel MPsare plotting to change Commonsrules so that motions proposed bybackbenchers take precedenceover government business, upend-ing the centuries-old relationshipbetween executive and legislature.

Downing Street believes thiswould enable MPs to suspend arti-cle 50, putting Brexit on hold, andcould even lead to the referendumresult being overturned — a movethat would plunge the country intoa constitutional crisis.

May’s team got wind of the ploton Thursday evening when one ofthe conspirators — a former cabinetminister — was overheard by JulianSmith, the government chief whip,discussing the plan in the MPs’cloakroom. He commissionedwritten advice from legal experts,who warned May that the future ofher government was at stake.

Smith briefed May on Friday onthe explosive document, whichsays: “Such an attempt represents

Leinster’s Adam Byrne, left, celebrates with Jordan Larmour and Josh van der Flier on sealing a 29-13 win against Toulouse yesterday. It moved Leinster to top of their Champions Cup pool. Full story, Sport

be done by the end of March isabsolute poppycock,” he said. “Alllast year, people were saying thedeal had to be concluded by Hal-loween so that Westminster, theEU council, the EU parliament andthe EU Commission could all signup to it. Well, all those bodies willstill have to sign up once the UKmakes a decision, and there justwon’t be time.”

Ahern said, as long as “there isno majority in the House of Com-mons for a no-deal Brexit”, he doesnot believe the UK will crash out.

He expects Theresa May, theBritish prime minister, will loseTuesday’s vote but that an amend-ment passed by the parliament lastweek requiring her to outline an

Continued on page 4 →

DAN SHERIDAN/INPHO

Sean PollockHealth minister Simon Harris isset to proceed with minimum unitpricing for alcohol, despite previ-ously saying it would be intro-duced only at the same time asNorthern Ireland.

Harris is planning to proceedwith the legislation in the Republicbecause of the standoff at Stor-mont between the DemocraticUnionist Party and Sinn Fein.

A spokesman for Harris con-firmed that government approvalwas being sought to introduce min-imum unit pricing only in this

The master of the High Court hasbeen warned against damagingproperty in the Four Courts afterhe broke three window panes inhis courtroom with a hammer.

Edmund Honohan, who isresponsible for hearing High Courtapplications for summary judg-ments, said he smashed the inter-nal windows in order to dispel “afug” in the stuffy courtroom thatwas making him ill.

He made the announcement tobarristers in his court beforeChristmas, claiming he had beenforced to use a hammer to breakthe windows after the Courts Ser-vice failed to respond to his com-plaints about stuffiness.

The Courts Service has sincereplaced the window paneslocated on an internal wall separat-ing Honohan’s courtroom from ahallway. A sign stuck on therepaired windows last Friday said“do not reglaze”.

Speaking outside his courtroomlast week, Honohan confirmedthat he “broke” three windowpanes and claimed his actions hadproduced “the desired effect”. Hesaid repairs to the windows meantthey could now be opened manu-ally, something he said had notbeen possible previously as theopening mechanisms had been“painted over”.

Honohan said he and a registrarhad repeatedly caught colds andhe believed this was caused by a“fug”. The small courtroom ispacked with more than 50 barris-ters and litigants on most workingdays.

Honohan regularly stops pro-ceedings to open a window andpublicly complains about the air

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ber 2018. A quarter of that wenton alcohol.

Evelyn Jones, governmentaffairs director for the NationalOff-Licence Association, said thegroup would welcome minimumunit pricing to combat “recklessdiscounting” by supermarkets.

During a debate on thePublic Health (Alcohol) Bill in theSeanad in November 2017, Harrissaid the government would delayminimum unit pricing until Stor-mont was operating.

In October Harris said thegovernment “wouldn’t wait for-ever” for Stormont. Continued on page 4 →

Continued on page 4 →

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Ahern urges UK to delay Brexit

alternative will help to clarify areas of agreement.

“She’ll probably come back with something like the current deal but with a clarification,” said Ahern. “They could defer it, kick it into the long grass for a bit. They could ask the 27 [other member states] for an extension. If they said to the commission they want to push it out to the end of next year, the UK would stay in the single market. That would drive the Brexiteers mad but the March deadline is impossible.”

Others, such as the Scottish National Party and Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer, have proposed extending the deadline but only by weeks. European parliament elections in May are seen as a

→ Continued from page 1

cut-off point, as the EU will not want to fill the UK’s seats on a temporary basis.

May triggered article 50 ofthe Lisbon treaty in March 2017, starting a two-year countdown to Brexit.

The treaty allows the deadline to be extended for a specified period of time subject to the consent of all EU member states. Britain would have to pass legislation to change the date of Brexit.

Ahern said the EU was likely to have prepared a written clarification on the Irish backstop and he was surprised the British government had not asked to see it. He added the Irish government should have agreed a position with the UK before article 50 kicked in. “We should have been working it out with them. I was blue in the face from saying we should have a Brexit minister,” he said. “Once article 50 was triggered, it was out of our hands.

“It’s in Ireland’s national interest to be close to the British. They are our nearest and biggest neighbours.”

British keep a country mile from big houses, page 6

High Court master gets window warning

conditioning in the room. It is understood that he wrote to the Courts Service before Christmas complaining about the ventilation and warned that if action was not taken he would not be able to use the room in the new year.

A legal source revealed that the Courts Service had written to the master and warned him not to damage property in the Four Courts again.

The Courts Service’s pressoffice declined to comment about its dealings with Honohan, but confirmed that the master of the High Court had raised the issue of the courtroom’s air conditioning before Christmas.

A spokesman also confirmed that the Courts Service had arranged to have the broken window panes

→ Continued from page 1

replaced. “Checks have been carried out on the room’s air conditioning system and it is fully functioning,” he added.

Honohan’s position is a non-judicial role, which is largely administrative in nature. Unlike judges, he is a regular commentator on issues of policy.

Honohan was appointed to his position by the Fianna Fail-led government in 2001 and is a party supporter. He recently wrote to Micheál Martin, the Fianna Fail leader, complaining that the party was failing to support a bill Honohan had drafted giving non-profit housing providers first refusal on buying the security on homes in mortgage arrears.

“Allowing the vulture funds to make tax-free windfalls creates years of unnecessary extra capital outflow when the country has credit union and not-for-profit resources it could easily tap instead,” he said in the letter to Martin. “Another bondholder-type surrender!”

Honohan’s Affordable Housing and Fair Mortgage Bill 2018 was introduced to the Dail by John McGuinness, a Fianna Fail TD.

The government has been advised that areport on juvenile crime, which is aboutto be published by Garda Headquarters,will say the force, as a result of inaction,failed to prosecute hundreds of teenagersfor serious offences.

A small number of the cases variouslyinvolved youths who allegedly commit-ted rape, were caught in possession offirearms, and carried out serious assaultsor threatened to kill, according to govern-ment sources. One case that gardai failedto pursue in accordance with proceduresinvolved a fatality, the sources said.

An internal inquiry has discoveredthat gardai took no action in almost8,000 cases involving juvenile offenderswhose alleged crimes were consideredunsuitable for caution following assess-ment. The audit has established thatabout 3,400 of these cases involvedinaction by gardai and 1,500 crimevictims.

An inquiry led by Pat Leahy, an assist-ant garda commissioner with responsi-bility for the Dublin region, has con-firmed that gardai took no action inhundreds of cases where teenagers andchildren had committed aggravatedburglaries, stolen cars, committed public

order offences or were caught in posses-sion of illegal drugs.

Drew Harris, the garda commissioner,has briefed officials from the taoiseach’soffice and other departments on thereport, which examined a total of158,000 offences committed by youngoffenders that were referred to the gardajuvenile diversion office between January2010 and July 2017. All cases since thenare being reviewed.

The Policing Authority has been madeaware of the scale of the problem uncov-ered by the audit.

It was discovered that about 22,000cases appeared to have no results orunexplained outcomes when they wereexamined by a professional standardsunit within the gardai. Investigatorsuncovered a catalogue of clerical errorsand misrecording of crime data on Pulse,the garda’s IT system.

The failures are blamed on a lack ofsupervision by senior gardai and on theuse of a paper-based and outdated ITsystem for recording crimes.

Of the 22,000 incidents, almost 8,000involved inaction by investigatinggardai. About 3,400 involved caseswhere victims had complained to gardaiand offenders were identified followinginvestigations, but prosecutions were

not pursued — in contravention ofprocedure.

It is yet to be determined if disciplinaryaction will be taken against gardai whohave been found to have neglected theirduties or failed to prosecute cases despiteinstructions from their superiors or thedirector of public prosecutions, accord-ing to security sources.

Harris is expected to instruct seniorgardai across the country to begin issuingpersonal apologies to victims for the fail-ure of his officers to pursue cases anddeliver an adequate policing service.

A national helpline has been estab-lished to provide information to about1,500 victims considered to have beenthe most badly affected by the failure toprosecute the perpetrators of crimes.

The forthcoming report, which hasbeen examined by an external team ofconsultants to ensure the accuracy of itsdata, is expected to lead to an overhaul ofthe garda’s youth diversion office. GardaHeadquarters will announce this week itis setting up a national children’s bureau.

The garda’s youth diversion office istasked with keeping teenagers who act“out of character” away from the crimi-nal justice system, and out of prison, byencouraging them to have good behav-iour and apologise for their actions.

Gardai failed to pursue serious young offendersJohn Mooney

Plot to seize control from May

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Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) yesterday arrested a convicted criminal who is said to be a senior figure in the Kinahan cartel, as part of a joint operation with the Garda’s Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.

Thomas “Bomber” Kavanagh, 51, was arrested yesterday morning along with another man after the two flew into Birmingham airport. The agency said two men, aged 51 and 20 from Staffordshire, had been detained as part of an investigation into the supply of drugs and firearms in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

“The arrest and searchesare part of an investigation into the activities of an organised crime network alleged to be involved in the supply of drugs and firearms. The investigation is being supported in Ireland by An Garda Siochana and other international partners,” said

Kavanagh has convictions for assault, threats to kill, possession of firearms and assaults on gardai.

Yesterday’s arrests form part of a serious international investigation into the cartel, which is led by Christy Kinahan, involving police in Ireland, Britain, Spain, the Netherlands and the United States.

Kinahan and his son Daniel, who has acted as a boxing promoter, are living in Dubai having fled there from Spain’s Costa del Sol last year. Their relocation to the emirate, which has no extradition treaty with Ireland, followed the arrest of key figures by gardai and a succession of drug seizures. Gardai had also compromiseda number of planned murders organised by Kinahan and his son, who have amassed a fortune estimated at €750m from drug dealing.

Kavanagh was released onpolice bail last night pending further inquiries.

‘Kinahan gangster’ arrested in Britain John Mooney

Gardai and officers from Britain’s NCA in a joint operation at a property in Tamworth

suspend Commons standing order 14, which says that “government business shall have precedence at every sitting”. It has been in place since Charles Stewart Parnell’s campaign of obstructionism for Irish nationalism in the 1880s.

The European Commissionwill shortly publish a letter to reassure MPs that the controversial Northern Ireland backstop is “temporary”. Yet insiders still expect the prime minister to lose by 100 or more votes.

Letwin did not respond toa request for comment.

Bercow’s spokeswoman said: “We have no knowledge of backbench rule changes. The Speaker did meet Mr Grieve on Tuesday. He meets members from both sides of the House and all parties.”

Plotters out to take control, World News, page 11

→ Continued from page 1

the NCA. The British agency also confirmed it had carried out searches of a residential property in Tamworth, which is near Birmingham, and a separate business premises in the city itself.

The police investigation isfocusing on recent business transactions by Kavanagh, who is said to have attempted to transfer a number of substantial assets to a third party. The police suspect the assets represent the proceeds of crime.

Kavanagh left Ireland almost 10 years ago after he was placed under investigation by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB), which issued him with a substantial tax demand. He relocated to Birmingham where he bought a large property and opened a motor dealership.

Security and Intelligence,the garda’s spying department, regards Kavanagh as a trusted figure within the Kinahan cartel and the crime gang’s most senior representative in Britain.

Mary Lou McDonald, the Sinn Fein president, has defended the attendance by two party members at the inauguration of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro last week. The EU and America have criticised the electoral process, but McDonald said it was “open and democratic”.

Sinn Fein leader backs Maduro duo

PJ Sweeney, 53, of Ramelton, Co Donegal, has been charged with violent disorder at a house in Falsk, near Strokestown in Co Roscommon, on December 16. An eviction had previously taken place at the house. Gardai objected to bail being granted and the judge Deirdre Gearty remanded him in custody.

Man charged over eviction disorder

The Sunday Times January 27, 2019 3

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my 12-year-old son texted his dad twoweeks ago, screenshotting one that said Ihad been ‘axed’ because of my ‘erraticbehaviour’, and had to be escorted out ofthe studio by producers. He asked, ‘Dad,is this true?’ He was very upset.”

O’Callaghan continued: “On so manylevels this is wrong. I feel so bad aboutthe people who spent money on ‘my’face cream, and there are hundreds ofthem. Dermot Ahern, the former minis-ter for justice, phoned last week to say afamily member had bought the cream.He had to stop the [credit] card. He said,‘Miriam, it’s very serious. This is a scam.’

“It’s been viral in the last few months.Everywhere I’ve gone, people are men-tioning it. The receptionist in RTE isconstantly being phoned up by peopleasking, ‘Has Miriam left for her facecream?’ Everyone is believing it.”

Those who sign up for the face cream,which sometimes trades as Alvera Tone,pay an initial €5 for post and packaging.However, if they don’t return the “sam-ple” jar of cream within a short period,their account is charged circa €100.

Some of the adverts contain faketestimonials from RTE presenters ClaireByrne and Mary Kennedy and the actressSharon Horgan, saying they have usedthe face cream.

Last week Facebook settled a legalaction in the UK taken by Martin Lewis, afinancial journalist, over fake ads thatclaimed he endorsed cryptocurrenciesand get-rich-quick schemes. Facebookpledged to donate £3m (€3.5m) to a char-ity devoted to combating scam ads, andvowed to introduce a new reporting tool.

O’Callaghan said the Lewis caseclosely matched the legal action she wasplanning. “I’m hoping this might set aprecedent to protect other people. It’sthe last thing I want to do, but it’s impor-tant. I have not spent my life workinghard to build up my reputation only forFacebook to take it away from me.”

The RTE presenter added that she was

‘Libel’ wrinkle for face cream ads leads RTE’s O’Callaghan to sue FacebookBroadcaster Miriam O’Callaghan is to sueFacebook for defamation in a landmarkIrish case, alleging that the social mediagiant is promoting fake advertisementswith malicious stories about her in orderto attract clicks.

O’Callaghan, the presenter of PrimeTime, says she has been left with nochoice but to sue because of Facebook’sfailure to tackle fraudulent adverts forface cream that have included inaccurateclaims about her being fired from RTE for“erratic” behaviour.

The RTE presenter said that, althoughher solicitor Paul Tweed had been com-plaining to Facebook about the fakeadverts since last June, the online giantstill published the defamatory content.

“I’m quite an easygoing person, so Istay on Twitter,” said O’Callaghan. “I’mused to the slings and arrows of criticism,that’s fine. But this is a whole other level.It started off that I had launched a facecream. I thought, ‘This is so mad, no onewill believe it.’ Then I listened to JoeDuffy’s Liveline [last June], and therewere women buying it.

“So Paul Tweed did his best withFacebook but, if anything, the situationhas got much worse. It has gone from‘I’ve launched my own face cream’ to ‘Ihave been sacked and axed because ofmy erratic behaviour’ as clickbait, to getpeople to read about this face cream andbuy it.”

O’Callaghan said she was frustratedthe situation had persisted, and thatpeople believed the fake stories abouther. Her lawyers have tracked more than40 iterations of the fake ads promoted onFacebook and Instagram.

“At the Dunnes Stores in Cornelscourtthere’s a fish counter and lots of people,including the women coming out ofmass, were telling my mum, ‘That’s a pityMiriam has left RTE to do her facecream,’” said O’Callaghan. “Importantly,

Mark Tighe

Novelist Liz Allen bankrupt with €3.7m debts

Leak of Morning Ireland memo on ‘sex assault’ may lead to huge fine

The number of data breach notifications and complaints to the DPC has doubled since the introduction of GDPR. Breach notifications have risen to 3,900, of which GDPR accounted for 3,506. The number of complaints received increased to 3,300, with 2,200 relating to GDPR.

GDPR, introduced in May,is the most far-reaching bill on data privacy in Europe for 20 years, replacing the 1995 data protection directive. Private and public organisations are required to be more transparent about the personal data they gather, such as phone numbers and IP addresses.

The EU regulation holds organisations accountable for data misuse and gives individuals greater power to access information stored about them.

warning, the memo names the sports star, who is said to have voluntarily presented himself to gardai for questioning. It also identified his sport. On the morning the memo was circulated, RTE included a story in its news bulletins about the man being questioned but did not name him.

“Gardai in Dublin are questioning a man in connection with an alleged sexual assault at a hotel in the city last month,” the bulletin said. “A woman made a complaint to gardai. The man is understood to have presented himself at a south Dublin garda station yesterday evening. He can be detained for up to 24 hours.”

RTE declined to comment on the breach. A representative of the sports star did not respond to a request for comment.

result in a fine of up to €20m, depending on the severity of the breach. The maximum fine for public sector organisations is capped at €1m. In less severe cases, the regulator will issue warnings or impose sanctions on data processing. For private companies, fines can go up to €20m or 4% of global turnover.

The internal memo was spread on social media and instant messaging apps this month. It also appeared on some online forums and gossip websites.

The note, titled “handover”, is marked “NB NB NOT FOR PUBLICATION/BROADCAST NB NB”. It includes a running order of other stories broadcast on that day’s edition of RTE Radio 1’s Morning Ireland.

Under the broadcast

A newsroom memo that named a sports star in relation to allegations of sexual assault and was leaked and posted on social media has led RTE to notify the Data Protection Commission (DPC) of a data breach.

The DPC confirmed the notification from RTE and said it fell within the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), leaving the national broadcaster open to a fine.

Under GDPR, a data controller, in this case RTE, must notify an individual or company whose data has been compromised and their privacy affected.

As RTE carries out commercial activities in addition to its public service remit, its failure to comply with GDPR could

Sean Pollock

BRYAN MEADE

Miriam O’Callaghan, above, says even her mother and son have been fooled by the ads on Facebook, far left, although the chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, left, insists the social media site is now more aware of the problem with fake news

frustrated to hear Sheryl Sandberg,Facebook’s chief operating officer, sug-gest in Dublin last week that the socialmedia giant’s problem with fake newswas historical. “I was tempted to go downto her and say, ‘Excuse me, this is nothistoric, it’s a current problem, andFacebook have done nothing to protectmy reputation,’” said O’Callaghan.

“I really admire her, but Facebook isconstantly and daily publishing incredi-bly defamatory ads about me. They aremaking money from this.”

Facebook said adverts that misleador infringe third-party rights violate itspolicies, and are removed when itbecomes aware of them.

“The ads that were reported to us byMiriam O’Callaghan have been removedand the relevant accounts disabled,” saidthe company. “We’re constantly workingto detect and shut down this kind of adactivity using a combination of auto-mated and manual systems.”

a property in Shankill and €82,000 to Ulster Bank.

Other personal debts, including overdrafts and loans from family and friends, amounted to more than €45,000.

Her only assets at the timeof her bankruptcy were €400 cash and €1,000 in the bank. She said she was living with friends in Sandycove.

Allen took a series of casesagainst Independent News & Media alleging constructive dismissal, bullying and harassment after leaving the Sunday Independent in 2000. The Employment Appeals Tribunal awarded her €70,500, while two other legal actions were settled.

Allen then became an author of thrillers: her debut, Last to Know, set in the Irish underworld, was published in 2004. Husband Hanlon now works for a television news network in Nigeria. The couple have two children.

issues, the market had crashed. One of the houses, which had originally been priced at €2.95m, sold for €1.49m in 2010. Allen notes in her statement of affairs that €3.2m represents the shortfall following the sale of the properties.

Allen, who in recent years has worked as an art consultant, owed EBS €386,000 for a mortgage on

Liz Allen, a novelist and former journalist, has been declared bankrupt with debts of €3.7m after the High Court accepted she had no realistic prospect of repaying creditors.

Allen, who became the Sunday Independent crime correspondent following the murder of Veronica Guerin, lost heavily on a series of property investments a decade ago.

Her statement of affairs shows Allen owed €3.2m to Bank of Ireland. It financed a property development by Allen and her estranged husband Andrew Hanlon, former director of news at TV3, in the mid-Noughties.

Allen and Hanlon bought a run-down bungalow in Killiney in 2006 for about €2.5m. They subsequently demolished it and built two luxury New England-type

homes with timber-clad walls and white picket fences.

Allen told Homes Interiors& Living Magazine that the inspiration for the design came from a house shared by the characters played by Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers in the 1980s television series Hart to Hart.

By the time the houses came on the market in 2009, delayed by a series of planning

Colin Coyle

Allen working at home during her time as a crime reporter

April 14, 2019 · Issue no 10,153 · thesundaytimes.ie RoI €3 (inc Vat) · NI £2.70

John Delaney, the executive vice-president of the Football Associa-tion of Ireland (FAI), spent almost€40,000 on his work credit card inthe last six months of 2016, a Sun-day Times investigation has found.

While Delaney was on a salary of€360,000 as chief executive, heused the FAI credit card to pay forduty-free purchases at airports,meals in his local pub in Wicklowand to make cash withdrawals ofmore than €6,000 in six months.

Purchases on Delaney’s FAIcredit card included €400 at a Hil-figer store, more than €500 on twovisits to an executive dry-cleaningoutfit, and a €226 bill from ThomasPink, a store that claims to haveperfected “the traditions and intui-tion of English shirtmaking”.

The FAI said “no comment”when asked about Delaney’s creditcard expenses, and about a sepa-rate €60,000 payment made bythe association in early 2014 to athird party labelled as “profes-sional fees”.

The Sunday Times also foundthat, on top of Delaney’s companycredit card expenses, the FAI paida bill of €8,018 in December 2015 tocover his stay at the Ritz-Carltonhotel beside New York’s CentralPark. The hotel features sound-proof windows and feather bedsdressed in goose-down duvets,while guests are offered a choice ofpillows from a menu.

He may hold a record eight all-Ireland football medals, but PatSpillane doesn’t know if he still hasa place on Michael Ring’s team-sheet. The Kerry footballer sus-pects he may have been sent offby the minister for rural and com-munity development.

His telephone calls have goneunanswered for four months asSpillane has tried unsuccessfully toestablish if he still holds the posi-tion of “ambassador for the actionplan for rural development”, a jobhe was given two years ago.

An action plan for rural develop-ment was launched by then tao-iseach Enda Kenny in 2017 with atarget of creating 135,000 new

away to Moldova, Delaneywithdrew €600 in cash in threetransactions.

The largest single charge on thecredit card in the six-month periodwas a €4,474 bill from the Ritz-Carlton five-star hotel in Dubai inDecember 2016. Guests in the hotelenjoy personalised service anddaily culinary presentations plusaccess to a private beach. While inDubai, Delaney charged a bill of€219 from the Madinat Jumeirahresort and another bill of €271 at theAsia Asia restaurant. At the sametime he paid €1,170 to “Aster HomeCare”, which appears to be a health-care company based in Dubai.

Delaney’s credit card bills showthat while in London he usuallystays in the Arch, an upmarkethotel near Marylebone. From sixseparate charges, the FAI has paid€4,202 for use of this hotel.

In September, Delaney amasseda bill of €225 from Gaucho TowerBridge, a restaurant known for itsArgentine steaks and stunningviews of the Thames. Delaney hasalso enjoyed fine dining in Irelandwith cumulative bills of €250 fromtwo visits to Marco Pierre White’s

Police opened fire outside theUkrainian embassy in London yes-terday after the ambassador’s carwas “deliberately rammed”.

The drama, in Holland Park’s“Millionaire’s Row,” began after aman in a silver Mercedes droveinto the envoy’s official vehicle.Officers attempted to block thevehicle, then fired shots withTasers and live bullets after theMercedes again drove into theambassador’s car — and also intopolice — at about 10am.

Ukrainian ambassador NataliaGalibarenko, 40, who is marriedwith one son, was not present. She

is believed to live in south London.The incident took place on the fifthanniversary of Ukraine sustainingits first military casualty in the warwith Russia for the Donbas region.However, it was still not clearwhether the incident had a politi-cal motive. Police said it was notbeing treated as a terrorist attack.

No one was injured in the inci-dent, but police said the man in theMercedes had been taken to hospi-tal as a precaution. The forceadded that the professional stan-dards directorate was informed —standard procedure when a policefirearm is discharged.

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Mark Tighe Steakhouse and Grill. Another €72was spent on two bills from “King-fisher takeaway”.

Delaney travelled extensively in2016 as he campaigned success-fully for election to Uefa’s execu-tive committee in April 2017. Hecharged more than €7,300 on hiscredit card for flights in that six-month period. There was €355spent on duty free. He also chargedmore than €2,000 in petrol stationbills, including a €66.74 purchasein Michael Healy-Rae’s Mace shopand garage in Kilgarvan. Last weekthe Kerry TD spoke in Delaney’sdefence at an Oireachtas commit-tee hearing into the FAI’s corporategovernance.

Last week, the FAI refused toanswer any questions about Del-aney’s credit card expenses or say ifhe reimbursed the association anyof the charges, or if he was requiredto present receipts for his expendi-ture. The FAI responded “no com-ment” when The Sunday Timesasked whether the association hada policy on staff using companycredit cards to withdraw cash.

It is understood the FAI is able toget reimbursements for ticketsDelaney purchased for ManchesterUnited and Celtic matches underan arrangement with the clubs.The former chief executive’s creditcard was used to buy more than€2,300 worth of tickets from thesetwo clubs in the six-month period.

Delaney’s solicitor did notrespond to queries yesterday.

Delaney racked up €40,000 spending on FAI credit card

As director of Waterford Foot-ball Club in 2001, Delaney calledon then FAI chief executiveBernard O’Byrne to stand downpending a review of his use of anFAI credit card. O’Byrne subse-quently accepted an exit packageamid allegations that he used thecard for personal spending.O’Byrne, who repaid the sums inquestion, blamed the issue on an“administrative error”.

Delaney’s FAI credit cardincluded 13 separate bills fromPlucks, his local pub and restau-rant in Kilmacanogue, amountingto a total of €563 in six months. Healso had charges of €119 from KurtGeiger, an upmarket British foot-wear and accessories retailer, anda €91 bill from Cath Kidston, a“distinctive lifestyle brand”.

The credit card statements showDelaney had a tendency to with-draw cash using the FAI card insums ranging from €100 to €250.In just over 40 cash withdrawals insix months, Delaney withdrewmore than €6,180. These with-drawals incurred bank charges ofmore than €115 for the FAI.

On July 21, 2016, Delaney with-drew €200 and €150 from theTopaz garage in Kilmacanogue. Onthe same date, the credit card wasused to withdraw the sterlingequivalent of €265 in Terminal 2 ofHeathrow. On October 7, the dayafter Ireland won a home WorldCup qualifier against Georgia andtwo days before the team played

FOOTBALL FURORECase recalls banana republic Justine McCarthy, page 12Will Delaney’s blanket defence see him through? News Review, page 17

after the letter was written lastDecember. The Paris attacks of2015, in which 130 people died, arecited as a model for future “specialoperations”.

The cells will plan “specialoperations” with a “determinedgoal and outcome that are pickedcarefully”.

The documents — on a harddrive found by Western-backedforces in Syria after a firefight withan Isis cell — provide alarminginsights into how the terror groupcontinues to operate and plotfuture operations even as its cali-phate is destroyed.

Isis plans to copy Paris atrocity with fresh carnage, page 9

Stephen O’Brien Political Editor

Spillane: has Ring benched me? jobs, increasing overseas visitorsby 12%, and assisting 4,000 pro-jects in rural communities to boosteconomic development and tacklesocial exclusion.

Spillane was asked to serve as an“ambassador” for the plan, linkinggovernment with rural communi-ties. First his fee for the job was cutfrom €20,000 in 2017 to €10,000in 2018, and he has had no contactwith Ring or his senior staff sincelast year. The action plan monitor-ing committee has not met sinceDecember, Spillane has revealed.

“I have heard absolutely noth-ing despite leaving messages forMr Ring, his secretary and variousofficials in his department,” saidthe former Kerry star yesterday.“The first week of December was

the last time I met Michael Ringand I haven’t been able to reachhim since.” In a direct challenge tothe minister, Spillane added: “Justtell me whether you want me oryou don’t want me. At least showme that level of respect.”

Michael Collins, an independentTD for Cork South-West, failedto solve the diplomatic mystery inthe Dail last week. He told SimonCoveney, the tanaiste, that hebelieved Spillane had been“removed” from his position.

“Simon Coveney didn’t evenanswer my question directly; LeoVaradkar and this government hasno interest in rural Ireland,” saidCollins yesterday. “Pat Spillanewas a clear and honest voice for theContinued on page 2 →

NEWMAN’S VIEW

Detailed plans for terrorist attacksin Europe, funded and controlledby Isis leaders, are exposed in atrove of chilling documents seenby The Sunday Times.

Correspondence from Isis offi-cials in Syria to the group’s leader-ship reveals the reach and sophisti-cation of international networks,facilitating the movement of fight-ers over borders, funding opera-tions, and planning an array ofattacks including robberies, vehi-cle ramming and assassinations.

They include plans for an attackon a high-speed train in Germany —where an incident occurred days

Louise CallaghanMiddle East Correspondent

Isis terror plans uncovered

Galibarenko: ambassador is married with one son

ENVOY’S CAR ATTACKED IN LONDON

Police detain a suspect in Holland Park, west London, yesterday after opening fire to halt a Mercedes

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