Ceann Comhairle refuses Ó Snodaigh's statement request

Aengus Ó Snodaigh's bid to make a personal statement to the Dáil over his chairmanship of a charity at the centre of a money laundering investigation has not been approved, Sinn Féin has said.

The party said Mr Ó Snodaigh wrote to Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy on Monday evening to request to make a statement.

RTÉ News understands the request was turned down this afternoon on the grounds wider matters relating to the case mean it may not be appropriate to do so at this stage.

Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris said the TD should make a statement to the Dáil on the matter.

However, Sinn Féin said today that this was "refused".

It said Mr Ó Snodaigh would be "immediately challenging" what it deems to be a refusal as "he feels it important that he makes a statement on the facts" to the Dáil.

Under Dáil rules, specifically Standing Order 56, a TD may ask to make a personal statement in the Dáil if this is agreed by the Ceann Comhairle.

Such statements happen rarely, with the stipulation they do not involve a debate or political back and forth once the statement is made.

It is understood that the Ceann Comhairle felt unable to accommodate the request due to potential non-compliance with standing orders.

It is further understood the decision relates to the existence of an ongoing garda investigation and associated legal proceedings.

The TD is chairman of Dublin-based Liberty Recycling, a social enterprise focused on clothes recycling.

There is no suggestion of wrongdoing on his behalf and the Dublin TD is not under criminal investigation.

The money laundering investigation by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau resulted in the seizure of luxury cars and goods with a value of about €300,000, and the bank account of the charity being frozen.

On Tuesday and Wednesday last week, gardaí seized two BMW X5s and luxury goods including Rolex watches and Louis Vuitton bags in a number of searches as part of the probe.

The High Court has also appointed a provisional liquidator to the charity.

The Charities Regulator made an application to wind up the charity, Liberties Recycling Training and Development Company Limited.

The regulator said the appointment of a liquidator places executive control of the charity into independent hands "immediately to enable transitional arrangements to be put in place to support the charity's vulnerable service users and employees".

As part of its grounds for the application, the regulator said there is "no effective management or oversight of the activities of the charity by its trustees/directors".

The charity operates out of multiple locations and has a wider management team.

In a statement to RTÉ News, a spokesperson for Dail ceann comhairle Verona Murphy said: "A personal explanation must be 'brief, non-argumentative, strictly personal and shall not be such as would cause debate or give rise to further explanations'.

"A further important consideration is that the matter should not be of a nature which will give rise to questions or debate.

"The matter referred to has not been raised in proceedings of the Dáil. It is also closely related to an ongoing garda investigation and to matters which are the subject of legal proceedings.

"The Ceann Comhairle is also cognisant of the fact that airing this matter on the floor of the House risks impinging on a live investigation and raising further questions.

"The Ceann Comhairle is constrained by the strict provisions of the standing order and must apply it as set down by the House. In this context, the Ceann Comhairle could not consider the matter to be one which meets the requirements of the standing order."

Additional reporting by Fiachra Ó Cionnaith