You can’t sidestep scrutiny, PAC warns university president who stepped down

Former University of Limerick president Kerstin Mey has been warned she cannot ‘sidestep’ scrutiny by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) following her resignation amid a string of controversies. 

Professor Mey provided a sick note to say she was ‘incapacitated’ when she was last scheduled to appear before the PAC in April, while still in situ as college president.

But PAC chair Brian Stanley has said he still expects her to appear to answer questions around inflated property deals at the university. 

‘Twice around the floor and sidestepping should not be an option. Because of the nature of this issue, if we have to pursue powers of compellability, it’s my personal view that if have to go down that route, we should.’

Prof. Mey went on sick leave days after the university revealed it paid ‘significantly above’ market value for 20 student houses near the campus in 2022. 

In a message that was sent to staff earlier this week, UL chancellor Brigid Laffan said that Prof. Mey ‘will resign’ her role and take up a job as a ‘full professor’ from September. 

UL paid €12.85million for the houses, which do not have the correct planning permission. 

This means that the university paid €630,000 per house – almost double the market value for homes in the area. 

Prof. Mey told the PAC in April of this year that she was ‘incapacitated’ and could not attend the hearing called to review the acquisition of the properties at Rhebogue.

UL was unable to answer a variety of questions posed to it by the Irish Daily Mail, including whether Prof. Mey is still on her presidential salary and what she will be paid once she takes up her new professorship.

The published salary pay scales for UL show that the president’s salary is €236,057, while a full professor’s salary ranges from €137,308 to €173,589. 

A spokesman for UL said: ‘Professor Kerstin Mey will resign as president of University of Limerick and take up the role of full professor from September 1.’

‘Deputy president and provost Professor Shane Kilcommins was appointed as acting chief officer and accounting officer in April, and he will continue in an interim capacity.’ 

He added that the governing authority will discuss the ‘substantive filling of the post of president’ at its meeting next week. 

‘UL does not discuss individual employee details,’ he said. 

In her message to staff earlier this week, Prof. Laffan said: ‘The reputation of this institution and all that it stands for is bigger than any position, any project, or any person – without exception.’

‘I spoke of the importance of accountability when I addressed you in the concert hall on March 28. I want to say to you now that nothing has been done or will be done to alter that position.’ 

Mr Stanley, a Sinn Féin TD for Laois-Offaly, said it was ‘extremely disappointing’ that Prof. Mey was not available to answer questions about the acquisition which occurred when she was president.

‘Now we understand she has stepped sideways into a professorship,’ he added. 

Mr Stanley said that while Prof. Mey is no longer the president of UL, she was during the Rhebogue acquisition, and is still employed by a public university. 

He added: ‘She can be asked in, the request can be made to her. In the event of her declining the invitation, we can use powers of compellability to bring her in. ‘

‘Our case would be strengthened by virtue of the fact that she is still in the employment of a public body.’

He said while the PAC has not made a decision, as committee chair he will be ‘fully on board’ with asking her to come in.

‘She was the accountable person during the period when UL acquired [properties in] Rhebogue,’ he said. 

‘UL is one of the bodies that we are particularly interested in, because there has been a number of issues there that PAC are raising like the Dunnes Stores site, and now Rhebogue, and payments to senior staff.’

UL has been mired in controversy since the purchase of the city campus site, formerly a Dunnes Stores location, in Limerick city in 2019. 

The university admitted earlier this year that it had overpaid for the site by €1.5million. 

‘This is a live issue, and I will be asking the committee to bring her back in,’ Mr Stanley said.