Suspended Social Democrats TD did not provide 'complete information' to party, review finds

Deputy leader Cian O'Callaghan said the readmission of Eoin Hayes to the party could be reviewed 'at a later date'

Eoin Hayes was suspended from the Social Democrats after he admitted lying about when he sold shares in a controversial US company that has been providing the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) with artificial intelligence tools. Picture: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos

Eoin Hayes’ suspension from the Social Democrats is to be extended after a review carried out by the party’s national executive, the acting leader has said.

Cian O’Callaghan said Mr Hayes had not been kicked out of the party and indicated that the TD for Dublin Bay South could be welcomed back at a later stage.

An internal review of the Social Democrats' decision to indefinitely suspend Mr Hayes from the parliamentary party has found that he did not tell the party about the size of his shareholding in a former employer.

Mr Hayes was suspended from the parliamentary party with immediate effect in December after he admitted lying about when he sold shares in a controversial US company that has been providing the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) with artificial intelligence tools.

He had originally told the media and his party colleagues that he divested shares in his former employer, Palantir Technologies, prior to being elected to Dublin City Council in June.

But he later revealed that he sold the shares in July — after taking office — for a pre-tax figure of €199,000.

Speaking at Leinster House on Tuesday, the party's deputy leader Cian O'Callaghan said that a national executive review of the decision had endorsed the suspension. 

Mr O'Callaghan said the review would not be published publicly and made recommendations around improvements to the party's candidate selection processes.

He said the readmission of Mr Hayes to the party could be reviewed "at a later date" but could not offer any details on how or when that might happen.

"What was clear from the review is that he did provide some information to the party regarding the shareholdings, but that wasn't complete information. So for example, clarity wasn't provided, at any stage up until the day of the suspension [with regard] to the value of the shareholding, the size of the shareholding."

Mr O'Callaghan said that the review had supported the decision of the parliamentary party.

“It's been considered by the National Executive of the Social Democrats, and the National Executive decided at their meeting to endorse the decision of the parliamentary party to indefinitely suspend Eoin Hayes.

“It also made a number of recommendations about improving our candidate selection processes,” Deputy O’Callaghan said.

He added that the party "felt that a severe sanction was necessary".

"That severe sanction was the indefinite suspension from the parliamentary party, and that sanction is still in place,” he said.

“We did find that we need to strengthen our selection processes. So, for example, we need to get more detailed information from all potential candidates, and we need to be asking more robust questions as well during those selection processes.”

• additional reporting from PA