Sinn Féin hits out at 'desperate' Fine Gael in Sipo row 

Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe. File Picture: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie

Fine Gael has obtained documents showing that Sinn Féin had to submit the party's 2020 general election expenses three times.

The main opposition party has blasted the move as a "desperate attempt to distract" from the current controversy surrounding Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe.

The Minister unearthed fresh issues with his 2020 general election expenses on Friday, after a tumultuous week for Mr Donohoe over his 2016 declarations, having to apologise after he failed to declare a payment of €1,057 made to workers who put up his election posters in 2016

However, documents released to Fine Gael via Freedom of Information show that there were "difficulties with the totals" that Sinn Féin provided to the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) in 2022.

Sinn Féin's declaration initially failed to include a €7,000 opinion poll it paid for during the 2020 election campaign.

The party did not include this in its first spending return to SIPO in 2020 but corrected it in 2022.

Minister of State at the Department of Defence Peter Burke said Sinn Féin now has to "fully explain everything."

He said: "The Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) directly told Sinn Féin last year 'there are difficulties with the totals' it had furnished as part of an updated 2020 General Election return the party was enforced to make after a media query - and that some of its amended election returns were 'incorrect'.

Sinn Féin has hit out at the move, labelling Fine Gael as "desperate".

A spokesperson told the Irish Examiner: "This is a desperate attempt from Fine Gael to distract from a serious controversy surrounding a political donation worth thousands of euro given to Paschal Donohoe by millionaire developer Michael Stone that was not declared and more revelations are likely to emerge in relation to potential further undisclosed donations.

"Sinn Féin is fully compliant with Sipo and Sipo have accepted our amended declaration.

"It would be a much better use of Fine Gael’s time for Paschal Donohoe to come clean on all of the undisclosed donations that he and his party have received from developer Michael Stone."