How Willie gave your cash to pals; Scandal of the expenses used to bankroll cronyism; Season's greetings - at the voters' expense.(News)

Byline: Luke Byrne, Aiden Corkery, Michael O'Farrell and Cormac McQuinn

DEFENCE Minister Willie O'Dea used more than [pounds sterling]46,000 of public money to pay Fianna Fail activists to hand out promotional leaflets in his constituency, the Irish Daily Mail can reveal.

The astonishing payment is just one of a series of dubious allowances totalling [pounds sterling]670,000 paid out to ministers under a loophole in their lavish expenses scheme.

The secret payments were made through an allowance which is meant to be used by TDs to cover the cost of hiring a secretary for their constituency office. However, as the cost to ministers of hiring a secretary is covered by their departments, many of them are instead using the generous allowance to pay family members, supporters and friends for work around their constituency.

The scandal has emerged through 800 pages of documents unearthed in a joint investigation by the Mail and our sister paper, the Irish Mail on Sunday, through a series of Freedom of Information inquiries. The details that have emerged lay bare, in the starkest possible terms, the venality at the heart of the political classes.

Last year, the Defence Minister used the allowance to pay a local councillor and supporters to hand out fliers for him around his Limerick East constituency. Fianna Fail councillor Cathal Crowe earned $13,000 from the taxpayer for handing out leaflets in Co. Clare, where 7,000 of Minister O'Dea's constituents live.

A further $33,000 was paid to other party activists in Limerick by Minister O'Dea under the scheme. These include Jimmy Flannery Jnr who was paid $4,000 in 2008, Imelda Flannery ($2,000), Marie Therese O'Brien ($2,000) and Vincent O'Brien ($2,000). All give the same address at Kilmorna, Rhebogue in Limerick. Mr Flannery has been a Fianna Fail activist in Limerick for over 20 years.

Joe Crowley of Westfields, North Circular Road, Limerick was paid $3,870, while Martin Roche of Mayorstone, Limerick was paid $1,000 and John Daly of Grove Island, Limerick, was paid $7,222.

When asked about the payments, Minister O'Dea defended them as legitimate expenses.

He said: 'It relates to an important and relevant service I provide to my constituents. The newsletters inform constituents of matters of concern to them.' But Mr O'Dea is far from the only culprit - and a …