IT SEEMS LIKE a lot has happened in the 18 days since Barry Cowen started his role as Minister for Agriculture in a three-party coalition comprising Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and the Greens.
He was tested at the spot where he was stopped, and then later at a Garda station. The paper reports that he received a Fixed Charge Penalty Notice – this meant a €200 fine and a three-month driving ban as he was on a provisional licence at the time.He says that he was “disappointed” that he only learned of Cowen’s drink-driving ban on the previous day, but said the minister’s remorse is genuine.
Cowen said that he wasn’t driving unaccompanied when stopped at the checkpoint in September 2016, but he had driven unaccompanied on other occasions. Cowen tells the Dáil that he’s “profoundly sorry” over his historical driving ban after being caught drink-driving, and said his actions are a “source of deep regret”.
The author of the Sunday Times story, John Mooney, said on Twitter that they didn’t publish the information last week “due to legal threats” I did not evade, or attempt to evade, a Garda. “Such an act would constitute a serious criminal offence and I was not charged with such an offence,” the statement reads.
#Open journalism No news is bad news Support The Journal Your contributions will help us continue to deliver the stories that are important to youSinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald says on RTÉ that she agreed with Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and Transport Minister Eamon Ryan that questions need to be answered so we know “why a Garda account differs so starkly with what [Cowen] says”.
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