Shock as FF candidates don't declare donations over disclosure limit (1 Viewer)

[IFF]

excerpt - http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0327/1224243553575.html

Mr O’Meara’s statement disclosed he made 18 separate donations totalling €17,635 to Fianna Fáil and its members in 2007. It also emerged that five of the 11 donations that were above the disclosure threshold of €635 had not been included in their donation statements by the general election candidates who received them. Mr O’Meara’s statement said he had made donations of €1,000 each to Senator Cecelia Keaveney (Donegal North East); Senator Lisa McDonald (Wexford); Deputy Michael Fitzpatrick (Kildare North) and to Councillor Patrick Boshell for an election fund on behalf of Deputy Thomas Byrne (Meath East). He also stated that he had paid a €2,000 cheque to Councillor Tom Fleming, an unsuccessful candidate in Kerry South, in the 2007 elections.
Ms Keaveney and Mr Byrne told the commission that the money had not been donated to them but to the local Fianna Fáil organisations. Mr Fitzpatrick said the €1,000 he received was towards 10 tickets for a race night at Punchestown. As the cost associated with each ticket was €75, the net value of the tickets was €25 each, or €250 in total. That was below the €635 threshold for disclosure.
In correspondence with Sipo, Ms McDonald said she had received the €1,000 from Mr O’Meara as a non-political gift in December 2006. Mr O’Meara was subsequently asked to make a new statement and a statutory declaration reflecting that it was a personal gift of €1,000, and not a political donation. When contacted yesterday, Ms McDonald said Mr O’Meara, whom she knew, had called to her home in December 2006 where there was a dinner after the recent birth of her child.
“Presumably, [the gift] was for my newborn child,” she said.
In relation to the €2,000 donation to councillor Fleming, Sipo expressed concern about the length of time it took to resolve the issue. It first wrote to him in May 2008 but did not receive full responses to its queries until last month, some nine months later.
Yesterday’s report outlined correspondence between Sipo and Mr councillor Fleming and his solicitors. A letter written by Mr Justice Smith to the councillor in November 2008 stated if he did not arrange a meeting to explain the donation, Sipo would be required to consider if the councillor had knowingly furnished a false or misleading donation statement, and if so, whether to refer this matter to the DPP or Garda.Once full replies were submitted, Sipo concluded Mr Fleming failed to include the €2,000 cheque from Mr O’Meara in his donation statement. But it was satisfied he “did not knowingly furnish a false or misleading donation statement”.

real shock. i just thought politicians were accepting dconation of €634 so they wouldn 't have to declare them but it turns out that i was wrong. they are accepting donations above €635 and calling them something else to try to evade the rules and the ******** are getting away with it


how many more donations above €635 are going undeclared


and i am sure it just doesn't go to only Fianna Fail. I believe this issue is with all parties


i wonder how The Irish Tories (what is that as an acronym?) will deal with their donations over €634

 

[Cormcolash]

POLITICIANS IN CORRUPT WANKERS SHOCK!

 

[dleacht]

It's all very easy to find out. My friend was telling me he bought a tv recently and got a call two weeks later from the tv license people stating we've noticed lately you bought a tv....but no license. If that is easily found out bank transactions can be reviewed. all donations would be going through an account for the party not in a personal capacity.

Every other bit of public funding has to be justified and accountable. The only shock here is that they were caught, that someone from within their own circle bothered to let it get reported.

 

[FiFi_LaRue]

It's all very easy to find out. My friend was telling me he bought a tv recently and got a call two weeks later from the tv license people stating we've noticed lately you bought a tv....but no license.

Seriously?

I didn't know they did that.

 

[dleacht]

Seriously?

I didn't know they did that.

I dont think its very often. I've never heard of it before anyways. He did say he bought it with a credit card as I was confused as to how they got his address.

 

[FiFi_LaRue]

That's very Big Brother-esque.

 

[IFF]

It's all very easy to find out. My friend was telling me he bought a tv recently and got a call two weeks later from the tv license people stating we've noticed lately you bought a tv....but no license. If that is easily found out bank transactions can be reviewed. all donations would be going through an account for the party not in a personal capacity.

Every other bit of public funding has to be justified and accountable. The only shock here is that they were caught, that someone from within their own circle bothered to let it get reported.

indeed, you are very right.

indeed if politicians used the excuse that McDonald use in the article, in theory if they had 10 well healed financier who gave her €3,000 a year as "a personal gift" (what a load of crap). in one dail term of 5 years, she would gross €150,000 in tax free undeclared political donations

this is due to under CAT gift tax, you can accept €3,000 from any individual in a tax year as a gift without any tax liability

really needs to be fixed the system