| Susan O'Keeffe | |
|---|---|
| Senator | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office April 2011 |
|
| Constituency | Agricultural Panel |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Political party | Labour Party |
| Profession | Journalist |
| Website | www.susanokeeffe.ie |
Susan O'Keeffe is an Irish Labour Party politician and journalist.[1] She was elected to the 24th Seanad in April 2011 on the Agricultural Panel.[2] She was an unsuccessful candidate at the 2011 general election for the Sligo–North Leitrim constituency, polling 4,553 first preference votes (10.2%).[3] She was also a candidate in the 2009 European Parliament election for the North-West constituency.
She is a journalist by profession. In 1995, O'Keeffe then a World in Action journalist, was threatened with prison in Ireland for refusing to reveal her sources. She had investigated scandals within the Irish meat industry in two films in 1991, the investigation centred on the Goodman International group – involving tax fraud, misappropriation of beef and Larry Goodman's dealings with Saddam Hussein's Iraq, leading to the setting up of a Tribunal of Inquiry, known as the Beef Tribunal, which found that much of her criticism of the industry was substantiated. The Tribunal, though, demanded that she name her informants, and when she refused to do so, she was charged by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The case became a cause célèbre in Ireland, and in January 1995 she faced trial for contempt of court but was cleared of the charge.[4] She was honoured in the 1994 Freedom of Information Awards for her stand.[5][6][7]