Ned O'Keeffe

Edward "Ned" O'Keeffe (born 1 August 1942) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork East constituency from 1982 to 2011.^[1]

Biography

O'Keeffe was born in Ballindangan, Mitchelstown, County Cork in 1942. He was educated at Darra College, Clonakilty where he received a diploma in Social and Rural Science. O'Keeffe was a pig farmer before becoming involved in politics.

Political career

In 1982 he was nominated by the Taoiseach, Charles Haughey, to the 16th Seanad. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann at the November 1982 general election. He retained his seat at each subsequent general election until his retirement in 2011.^[2]

O'Keeffe served in a number of frontbench positions. He was Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Industry from 1982 until 1987. While Fianna Fáil were in power between 1987 and 1994, O'Keeffe remained on the backbenches. When Bertie Ahern became party leader in 1994 O'Keeffe was appointed Deputy spokesperson on Enterprise and Employment with responsibility for Commerce, Science, Technology and Small Business. He served in that position until 1997 when he became Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food. He served in that position until February 2001 when he had to resign due to his voting on a Dáil motion without declaring that he had a beneficial interest in the subject matter.

On 28 November 2007, during a debate on a motion of no confidence in the Minister for Health and Children Mary Harney, O'Keeffe resigned the Fianna Fáil party whip when forced to vote his confidence in the Minister.^[3] On 26 February 2008 he was re-admitted to the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party.^[4]

He was a member of Cork County Council from 1985 to 1997.

He was an unsuccessful candidate at the 2009 European Parliament election for the South constituency. In the pre-election debate on Today FM he voiced his support for the use of Nuclear power and an incinerator in Cork Harbour.^[5]

He retired from politics at the 2011 general election.^[6]

Arrest

He was arrested on 27 April 2012 by members of the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation (GBFI) on suspicion of using a false invoice to claim for mobile phone expenses while he was a member of the Dáil.^[7] He was held for a number of hours at Cobh Garda station under section 26 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act.^[8]

On the 1 December 2014, O'Keeffe was found guilty of fraudulently claiming in excess of €3,700 in mobile phone usage expenses. He was fined €3,500 and given a 7-month suspended jail sentence for his crime.^[9]

References