FINE GAEL HAS declined to comment after one of the party’s former councillors was found guilty of corruptly accepting payments totalling €80,000 at Waterford Circuit Criminal Court today.

The party said this evening that Fred Forsey, the former deputy mayor of Dungarvan Town Council, had left the party “some time ago”.

A spokesperson said that as a result it would not be commenting on his conviction for accepting payments relating to the rezoning of land in Waterford six years ago.

Forsey, 43, was found guilty of all six counts of corruption after less than three hours of deliberation by a jury at the circuit criminal court today.

He had denied all the charges in the case relating to a 32-hectare site near Dungarvan which Forsey was said to have tired to get rezoned.

RTÉ reported that Forsey broke down in court after the verdicts were read out. He promptly left the courthouse with his partner Karen Morrissey having been granted bail before sentencing next Thursday morning.

The former councillor’s ex-wife Jenny was not in court having previously given Gardaí evidence against her husband before an investigation was undertaken that led to the eight-day trial.