Cathal Crowe forced by Sipo to hand back €800 of political donation

Ethics watchdog asked Fianna Fáil Clare TD to return most of a €1,000 donation as it exceeded the maximum allowed

Cathal Crowe TD. File picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

A Fianna Fáil Clare TD was forced by the country’s ethics watchdog to hand back a political donation as it exceeded the maximum allowable cash donations.

Cathal Crowe was asked to return €800 of a €1,000 donation because, under the Electoral Act 1997, public representatives may not accept donations in any year of more than €200 in cash, and not more than €1,000 in total from a single source.