Minister's brother 'sorry' for using Government email
THE brother of Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin has apologised for issuing political statements from a departmental email address.
Cllr Sean Martin (FF), a former Lord Mayor of Cork who is seeking re-election to the City Council in the June 5 elections, acknowledged the error as Opposition politicians demanded a full investigation into the matter and the possible misuse of government facilities.
It emerged that Cllr Martin had issued a number of press statements in relation to his local work from a Department of Foreign Affairs email address -- despite the fact his only connection to the Department is that it is run by his brother.
Cllr Martin has now acknowledged that "it should not have happened". He explained that he had been experiencing difficulties with his own e-mail system and the use of the department email address was not a normal or routine occurrence.
However, the revelation has been greeted with fury by Opposition politicians in Cork who claimed it was blatantly offering an unfair advantage in the run-up to the local elections.
Another former Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Joe O'Callaghan (FG), said that the matter should be the subject of a full inquiry.
Government TDs were warned last month that Oireachtas envelopes were not to be used for friends or relatives who were contesting city, county or town council elections.
- Ralph Riegel
