McDonald: 'All of Sinn Féin's money is accounted for' 

Though admitting to 'inaccuracies' and 'sloppiness' in Sipo reports, Sinn Féin's president insists her party's books are clean

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said she does not regret her party’s sustained criticism of Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe, but conceded there were 'inaccuracies' and 'sloppiness' in her own party’s returns to Sipo. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has admitted the party was sloppy with its financial returns to the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo).

Speaking to reporters in New York, she also insisted that all Sinn Fein’s money is accounted for.

Ms McDonald said she doesn't regret her party’s sustained criticism of Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe over the controversy surrounding his election expenses in 2016 and 2020.

But when pointed out that there were egregious errors in her own party’s returns to the ethics watchdog, Ms McDonald conceded there were “inaccuracies” and “sloppiness.”

Well, in the case of our returns, yes, there was sloppiness there, there were inaccuracies, to me that’s not acceptable. By the way, I have said that within the party.

“In the case of Paschal Donohoe, it was a case of a corporate donation that was not disclosed, so there are two different things.

“We all have to be compliant, where mistakes are made they have to be corrected.

But Sinn Fein, all of our money is accounted for and any dealings that we have had with Sipo over the years, in each and every instance the sloppiness or the mistakes have been remedied and Sipo has been fully happy with our actions.

Ms McDonald’s comments come as Fine Gael demanded further explanations on foot of a complaint to Sipo, but Sinn Féin rejected an offer to make statements in the Dáil to discuss their finances.

Sipo complaints 

In recent weeks, it emerged that Sipo is investigating complaints into a series of discrepancies and apparent mistakes in Sinn Féin’s financial statements and electoral spending returns.

Central to a complaint made by a Fine Gael activist to Sipo Central are contradictions between the audited accounts that the party must submit every year, and the election spending returns.

In its 2016 accounts, the party declared general election spending of €313,000.

However, the electoral spending returns to Sipo for the 2016 election show the party spent just €76,000 on the campaign.

Sinn Féin was also forced to undertake a review of its general election expenses after unpaid venue hire bills were identified. The party confirmed it failed to declare €2,160.70 worth of expenses during the 2016 general election relating to the hiring of venues.

The party has previously said that Sipo wrote to it following a complaint by a Fine Gael activist regarding the party's Abú database — Sinn Féin's internal canvassing and polling system.

Sinn Fein's housing spokesperson, Eoin Ó Broin has stated it costs €45 a month to host the database, but as it is a recurring charge and must be paid even when an election is not taking place, they do not consider it to be an election-related expense.

Mr Ó Broin, in an interview on RTÉ radio, said this cost is recorded and published in the party's annual accounts, but added they will "absolutely respond" to Sipo over the matter.