Culture
17 Aug 22

Fianna Fáil TD causes public outrage after failing to declare properties, insisting tenants pay cash

Credit: The Irish Sun.

Robert Troy had previously owned a property in Mullingar that he failed to declare the sale of to Westmeath County Council in 2018.

First reported by The Ditch (Eoghan McNeill and Roman ShortalL), Fianna Fáil's Robert Troy - Minister of State with responsibility for trade promotion - has come under scrutiny for failing to declare a second home, among other issues.

The Ethics in Public Office Act 1995 requires TDs to declare the sale of any goods or services exceeding €6,500 to public bodies.

Troy has said he's in the process of amending his Dáil register to reflect his sale of this property to Westmeath County Council, as well as another undeclared sale of a property to Longford County Council. The Irish Examiner has also reported on a third undeclared property of Troy's.

Westmeath County Council bought a four-bedroom, semi-detached house in Mullingar’s Ashefield estate for €230,000 from Robert Troy in June 2018.

The Longford-Westmeath TD failed to declare the sale in the Dáil register and was forced to explain this omission speaking on RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Show last week. He told Philip Boucher-Hayes he sold it to the council to allow for access to a proposed development.

The Fianna Fáil Minister said his failure to declare ownership of a second house he sold to a local authority, at a price double what he initially paid for it occurred as he had “misinterpreted the requirements for registering interests”.

The Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation at the Department of Enterprise described his failure to declare the sale of a property in Mullingar to Westmeath County Council in 2018 as an “error”, and said he would be seeking to amend the Dail’s register of interests accordingly.

The council in 2018 bought the property from Troy for a record fee for houses in the development and the former councillor failed to declare this sale – despite being required to do so under ethics legislation. Westmeath County Council later stated that doesn’t have any records of its first engagement with Troy on the transaction.

Having bought the property from the Criminal Assets Bureau in 2006, Troy rented it out for 12 years and insisted on cash payments, according to a tenant living there named Dawid Janeczek.

Earlier this year in an interview with The Irish Sun, Troy called for increased protections for renters.

Needless to say, the reaction online to the TD's housing interests has been one of outrage, given the nature of the housing and rent crisis. Questions were raised about other properties relating to Troy.

The neck on Robert Troy to say "oh no I made a whoopsie" and then assume everyone will just have to forgive him.

It is a continued disgrace that public representatives face no repercussions for naked corruption and abuse of their position - and then lie about it!

— The Foggy Jew (@HMcEvansoneya) August 15, 2022

Robert Troy isn't incompetent. Nor are his legal or financial advisors. The same goes for all politicians & the wealthy elite. The state systems such as tax are specifically designed to seem confusing & complicated to allow for loopholes & facilitate corruption. #HowIrelandWorks

— Roibeard Breathnach 🇮🇪 (@rfwalsh86) August 16, 2022

Expenses for Minister Robert Troy TD July-December 2020

€7186.13 for *domestic travel* for 6 months

(For reference, If you are on minimum wage your total take home pay for this time period would be circa €9,000)

€7186 travel expenses during lockdowns and mass WFM? pic.twitter.com/QpnXVTZ4X1

— Mark Malone (@soundmigration) August 17, 2022

🧵 Robert Troy has the 'Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation'

Yet he buys houses on the cheap and flips em to local councils for record prices. And doesn't let on he does

Had a look at his minister diaries. Meant to be punished every quarter. pic.twitter.com/cOBJevbGn3

— Mark Malone (@soundmigration) August 17, 2022

Anyone know how Robert Troy voted last month on the Rent Reduction Bill?

— Des Topia (@LeftistDad) August 16, 2022

Could Robert Troy's THIRD undeclared property transaction with a public body be
46 Oakcrest
bought for €79k in 2014 and sold in 2020 for €175k? Did he sell to Westmeath Council Council? https://t.co/q04ZFRdxHq

— nwl (@nwl88444048) August 16, 2022