Seanad Éireann agrees Sinn Féin must return €4m will donation – Ward

Seanad Éireann has voted in favour of Sinn Féin returning a donation that is more than 1,600 times the maximum allowable donation in the Republic.

Fine Gael Senator Barry Ward tabled a motion in the Upper House after Sinn Féin accepted a donation in excess of €4million from the estate of William Hampton.

Senator Ward, Fine Gael’s Seanad spokesman on Justice said, “I welcome Seanad Éireann overwhelmingly carrying this motion calling for Sinn Féin to return this donation in excess of the maximum allowable donation, with 31 members voting in favour and just 4 voting against it this evening.

“There is consensus that the acceptance of this donation by Sinn Féin is deeply problematic and at variance with the spirt of Irish electoral law.

“The maximum donation allowable under Irish electoral law is €2,500, yet this donation was received through a party’s Northern Ireland operation.

“The will of the Mr Hampton specifically states that the donation is for “the political party in the Republic of Ireland known at this time as Sinn Fein”. However, there appears to be no meaningful manner to ensure that research, social media and political staff funded in Northern Ireland by this donation are not employed in this jurisdiction or that their work is not deployed here.”

It was also agreed by the Seanad that Sinn Féin lay a statement before the house no later than 31^st of December 2020 outlining how it will ensure that no resources funded by its operations in Northern Ireland are utilised in this jurisdiction.

Senator Ward continued, “Fine Gael senators also requested the Standards in Public Office Commission furnish a report by 31^st December 2020 outlining how it will ensure that no resources funded by Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland are utilised in any way in this jurisdiction.

“There is considerable and widespread concern about this donation to Sinn Féin by an Englishman with no known connection to Irish politics.

“Sinn Féin has exploited the Northern Irish loophole to claim that this gift is not subject to the strict laws regarding donations which apply to all political parties operating in this State, laws which were brought in by Fine Gael to radically reform the previous donations culture.

“Fine Gael believes Mary Lou McDonald as the leader of Sinn Féin should not accept a penny more of this donation than the legal limit of €2,500. That would mean returning over €3,997,500 to the estate of Mr William Hampton.

“Separately, as part of the Government’s review of SIPO’s powers, Fine Gael will be seeking amendments to the SIPO legislation requiring all parties contesting elections in the Republic of Ireland to comply with Irish laws on ethics, political donations, and corruption, regardless of where they are operating.

“This would require parties operating on an all-island basis and contesting elections in both Northern Ireland and the Republic to adhere to our laws regarding political donations. It would also mean that party officers could be prosecuted here for breaking our ethics and corruption laws in another State,” Senator Ward concluded.