FF senator avoids sanction over donations return failure
The Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) referred Mr Daly and two other Oireachtas members to the Director of Public Prosecutions over their failure to make a donations return for 2009.
The deadline for the 2009 statements – in which TDs, senators and MEPS declare the donations they received during the year – was January 31 last.
It is an offence not to supply the statements, which is why SIPO referred the three cases to the DPP.
But sources indicated that Mr Daly would escape any sanction after he contacted SIPO yesterday and provided them with the outstanding documentation.
SIPO is now satisfied that Mr Daly has met all his obligations. As a result, even though the senator’s case has been referred to the DPP, “the usual practice would be to cease the prosecution”, a source said.
Mr Daly himself issued the following statement last night: “Senator Daly has stated that the Standards in Public Office Commission has closed this matter after accepting a late submission of the document that declared he had received no political donations in 2009.
“Senator Daly did not complete the form pertaining to donations for this period on the basis that he did not receive any political donations in 2009. All other documents were submitted to the Standards in Public Office Commission in advance of the deadline.
“Senator Daly has now completed and submitted the political donations form to the Standards in Public Office Commission and the matter has been resolved.”
The identities of the two other Oireachtas members referred to the DPP have not yet become known.
But a spokesman for SIPO last night said that one of the two had also been in contact to arrange for provision of the outstanding documentation. As a result, no prosecution is expected to follow in that case, either.
Documentation from the third Oireachtas member remains outstanding, however, meaning that individual does risk prosecution.
Under law, Oireachtas members and MEPs are required to declare in their annual statement any donation exceeding €634.87.
A member or MEP cannot accept a donation from a single person in a calendar year which exceeds €2,539.48.
