Businesses left with bad debt thanks to Sinn Féin’s unpaid bills- Higgins

Sinn Féin showed their true colours to local businesses by refusing to pay a poster printing company a bill of more than €5,000 despite being pursued for years, Fine Gael TD Emer Higgins has said.

Deputy Emer Higgins, Dublin Mid West TD, said the latest revelation about Sinn Féin’s unpaid invoices raises the question as to whether or not further Sinn Féin election expenditure documentation will have to be amended.

“However, the most serious issue here is the fact that a local employer in my constituency was left with a bad debt of €5,305 whilst Sinn Féin, according to the front-page article in today’s Irish Independent, repeatedly ignored requests for payment over a period of four years,” Deputy Higgins said.

“This latest revelation dates back to the 2014 Local Elections. Nine years have since passed and the bill remains unpaid.

“Why didn’t Deputy Pearse Doherty, the National Treasurer of the party since 2015, intervene and insist the bills were settled?,” asked Deputy Emer Higgins.

This is the fourth recent election where issues with Sinn Fein’s finances have emerged:

• They didn’t pay bills or disclose all invoices for the 2016 General Election to the Standards in Public Office Commission.
• Sinn Féin failed to report the total expenditure made on behalf of 2019 European Election candidates by the party breaching SIPO rules.
• Following the 2020 General Election, they failed to include a £6,000 (sterling) invoice for a poll commissioned by a London company and had to file it three times as well as under declaring other Sterling invoices.
• And last week, party leader Mary Lou McDonald finally admitted that she personally received a €1,000 donation from gangland criminal Jonathan Dowdall after claiming last November it was for her constituency.

“What else will be uncovered about Sinn Féin’s finances as it seems they haven’t a clue themselves,” Deputy Higgins said.