Ray Burke (Irish politician)

Damian Raphael Patrick " Ray" Burke ( Irish: Rae de Búrca, born September 30, 1943 in Dublin) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and a former minister.

Biography

Ray Burke, a former real estate agent, began his political career in 1973 when he was elected as the candidate of Fianna Fáil for the first time for the Members of the lower house ( Dáil Éireann ), where he initially to 1981, the constituency of Dublin County North and then the constituency of Dublin North represented.

Taoiseach (Prime Minister ) Jack Lynch appointed him in July 1978, first Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Energy, a post which he held under Lynch's successor, Charles Haughey, until October 1980. Then he was to the end of Haugheys term on 30 June 1981 Minister of the Environment.

The Office of the Minister of the Environment, he took over again in the second cabinet of Haughey from March to December 1982. Haughey as in March 1987 for the third time prime minister, called this Burke again in his cabinet. This he first belonged to until November 1988 as Minister of Energy and at the same time until February 1991 as Minister of Communications. Following a government reshuffle in November 1988, he was then Minister of Industry and Trade. In another reshuffle 1989 he became Minister of Justice in accordance with the general election on July 12, and held this office until the end of Haugheys term of office on 11 February 1992.

On 26 June 1997 Prime Minister Bertie Ahern appointed him as Foreign Minister. Just a few months later, he resigned from this office back on 7 October 1997 and at the same time renounced his seat in Dáil Éireann after corruption allegations had been made against him.

During the guided his trial for tax evasion, he pleaded in July 2004 on "Guilty ". On January 24, 2005 Ray Burke was sentenced by a court to a prison term of 6 months; In June 2005, he was released after a sentence has been served largely from custody.