Push for EU inquiry over CIA funding claim

FEARS that Libertas is being funded by anti-EU elements in the Pentagon and the CIA were raised in the European Parliament yesterday amid claims the anti-Lisbon treaty group spent more than €2 million on its campaign.

Libertas has refused to publish accounts, but MEPs are expected to push for a high-ranking Committee of Inquiry into its origins and funding.

Europe Minister Dick Roche said he believed Libertas spent more than €2m on its campaign, and not the €1.2m it had previously claimed.

President of the European Parliament, Hans Gert Pottering, said Libertas “cannot have double standards”.

“We need to know how much money the Libertas organisation had and where it came from,” he added.

Sinn Féin MEP Mary Lou McDonald distanced her party from Libertas, saying it had published full and frank accounts like all but one of the other no campaign groups.

The issue was raised at the opening of the parliament’s plenary session in Brussels by the leader of the Green group, Danny Cohn-Bendit, who called on member states and the European Commission to investigate reports that Libertas funding was linked to the Pentagon and CIA.

Mr Pottering said he had been observing the developments very closely for some time.

He said Libertas originally claimed its funding was coming in small amounts from private individuals, but Libertas founder Declan Ganley had revealed he had contributed €200,000.

“I believe that the organisers of the Irish No campaign have an indirect contact with the US government in relation to military procurement matters. People that call for transparency must show the same level of transparency themselves,” Mr Pottering said to applause from the parliament, which included the Inter-nal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy.

Mr Pottering, who visited Ireland twice during the Lisbon campaign, said he had great admiration for Mr Roche, who had undertaken to investigate the matter, and he supported him in this.

Fianna Fáil MEP Eoin Ryan told the parliament that people want to know exactly where the money came from.

The issue will be discussed by the presidents of the parliament’s political groups, some of whom are reported to want a Committee of Inquiry.

There is growing concern in the parliament not just because of Libertas’ activities during Ireland’s referendum campaign but also because Mr Ganley is considering running candidates in next June’s parliament elections and is linking up with well- known eurosceptics across the EU.

Owing to a loophole in the law, a non-political organisation like Libertas does not have to lodge a full account of its fundraising and spending.