Irish defense minister who falsely accused rival of running a brothel wins vote to keep job

Irish defense minister wins ‘no confidence’ vote

DUBLIN — Ireland’s defense minister, who falsely accused a political rival of running a brothel, has survived a no-confidence vote in the Irish parliament and kept his job.

Lawmakers voted 80-67 Wednesday in support of Defense Minister Willie O’Dea, who has denied committing perjury, even though he swore an affidavit claiming he never made any brothel accusations. O’Dea was forced into a U-turn after a journalist produced an audio tape of them.

Opposition leaders ridiculed O’Dea’s claim that he had simply forgotten about accusing the politician, Sinn Fein national treasurer Maurice Quinlivan, of employing prostitutes in a Limerick apartment. In December, O’Dea paid Quinlivan undisclosed damages and apologized to Dublin High Court for making a false sworn denial.