UPDATED: Exclusive: A Donegal county councillor has admitted his role in sending a fake legal letter to Cllr Terence Slowey.
Cllr Brendan Byrne addressed the council chamber after it emerged he had helped send a letter to the Ardara politician on behalf of former county manager Michael McLoone.
The letter – sent before Christmas – threatened defamation proceedings.
Cllr Byrne said he wished to acknowledge that Mr McLoone had never authorised him to send any letter or instruct any solicitor on his behalf.
“I acknowledge the letter issued from Mc McLoone was issued in error,” said Byrne.
“He has never called into question Cllr Slowey’s good name. I have not or nor do I intend to petition in any court in this matter but I deserve the right to my good name. I thank you for facilitating me and I intend to make no further comment.”
After as series of adjournments, Council Director of Service Liam Ward read all the legal correspondence into the record shortly before 3.20pm, taking almost ten minutes to do so.
In the correspondence, given to councillors this morning, Mr McLoone has expressed concern that it had been claimed he was taking an action for defamation against independent councillor Terence Slowey.
Included in the correspondence is a letter purporting to come from solicitors representing Mr McLoone to Cllr Slowey – but Mr McLoone has said this legal firm does not represent him.
And that he had never initiated proceedings against Cllr Slowey.
“Through media reports our client has been made aware of certain allegations which were made at the January meeting of Donegal County Council,” said solicitor Patrick J McEllin on behalf of Mr McLoone.
“According to media reports it was alleged that our client, Michael McLoone and former County Mayor Cllr Brendan Byrne sent legal letters to Cllr Terence Slowey over comments made at a Council meeting.
“Please note that our client never contemplated let alone issued instructions to any Solicitor to issue such a letter on his behalf.”
Mr McEllin then goes on to include other legal documents – including the ‘bogus’ letter sent to Cllr Slowey.
He goes on to include several other correspondence.
The solicitor for the former county manager goes on: “It is quite clear from the correspondence that Mr McLoone never retained the services (of the legal firm) and that it was Cllr Byrne who took it upon himself to instruct this firm of solicitors on behalf of Mr McLoone.
“Mr McLoone never discussed nor gave any authority to Cllr Byrne to act in this manner.”
Councillors have spent the morning reading the correspondence.
The meeting erupted into uproar on a number of occasions as Cllr Ciaran Brogan (FF) accused Mayor Frank McBrearty of “bias” in his handling of proceedings. The Mayor threatened to remove several Fianna Fail members from the chamber if they didn’t stop interrupting. The entire series of letters were then read into the record.
They detailed how Cllr Slowey had received a letter threatening defamation for comments he made last November. One letter was sent to him before Christmas purporting to be from Mr McLoone.
However Mr McLoone clarified in a letter on Tuesday that he had not instructed any legal firm to issue proceedings. County manager Seamus Neely said he believed putting the correspondence before the councillors today was necessary.
Fine Gael Councillor Bernard McGuinness said he was “in total shock” that Cllr Byrne had not apologised to Cllr Slowey.
He said Cllr Slowey had received the letter “in the mouth of Christmas causing great distress to his family.”
He said it was ‘unbelievable’ that Cllr Byrne had not said sorry.
Cllr Slowey could be seen crying as other councillors paid tribute to him.