Paul Hosford: More questions as Donohoe donor's business not registered with Sipo

Minister Paschal Donohoe will address media and the Dáil tomorrow over the Sipo revelations, writes Political Correspondent Paul Hosford

Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe has maintained the 2016 donation was to the Fine Gael organisation in his constituency and not himself. Picture: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos

The business of the man at the centre of the Paschal Donohoe controversy was never registered as a corporate donor with Sipo.

Mr Donohoe last week revealed that businessman Michael Stone had paid six men for four days' work putting up posters ahead of the 2016 general election.

The public expenditure minister said that this work and the use of a commercial van had been valued at just over €1,000, but Mr Stone was not registered as a corporate donor.

Under election rules, any business which makes a donation of over €200 must be registered with the Standards in Public Office Commission. However, an analysis of the register by the Irish Examiner shows that Mr Stone's Designer Group has not been on the register since 2013, when it was established.

Michael Stone, owner of Designeer Group. Photo: James Horan /RollingNews.ie

Sipo guidelines state: "A corporate donor which intends to make a donation, the value of which exceeds €200 to a member of either House of the Oireachtas, a member of the European Parliament, a candidate at a Dáil, Seanad, or European election, or a candidate, a presidential election agent or a third party at a presidential election, political party, a sub-unit of a political party or a third party must apply to the Standards Commission to be entered in the register."

The minister has maintained the 2016 donation was to the Fine Gael organisation in his constituency and not himself and was therefore within donation rules for candidates, but has apologised for not acting on the discrepancy sooner.

A spokesperson for Mr Stone told the Examiner that he has no comment to make, but the revelation has sparked questions from the Opposition.

The Sinn Féin spokesperson on public expenditure, Mairéad Farrell, said that the issue raises more questions about Mr Donohoe's affairs.

Ms Farrell told this newspaper that Mr Donohoe has no excuse for not being aware of the rules.

"This raises even more questions for the minister to answer this week in the Dáil," she said. 

When he accepted this donation, did he check with Sipo if they were on the registered list of corporate donors?

"Did he receive the requisite statement/statutory declaration from the donor confirming that the making of the donation was approved by the corporate donor? And if not, did he not inquire why this was?

"Companies which make political donations are required to disclose this in their annual return and in the director’s report. The minister, as a previous director of a company, should be aware of this as well as due to his duties as a minister."

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Mr Donohoe will address the Dáil on this matter for a second time on Tuesday, but it is understood that he may speak to the media beforehand, after he unearthed fresh issues with his 2020 general election expenses on Friday. 

The Dublin Central TD will be under pressure to explain what the latest issue with his returns is and to account for whether or not his spending including the work carried out by Mr Stone's employees has breached the spending limit of €30,150. Mr Donohoe declared expenses of €22,916.80 on his original Sipo return, along with €477.03 met from public funds. Along with €4,307 assigned by Mr Donohoe to Fine Gael and the figure of €1,057 from Mr Stone's donation, this would add up to €28,757. 

In the questions and answers session, Mr Donohoe will be under pressure to explain how Mr Stone's figure for the labour was reached.

Support from colleagues

Mr Donohoe has enjoyed a surge in coalition support in recent days, with Tánaiste Micheál Martin saying that the minister is a “very honourable minister” who has the country's interests at heart.

He told RTÉ's This Week on Sunday: “I think most people accept that. I do think we need balance and perspective in relation to this issue.

It's not as simple as the Opposition have, in some instances, in my view, mistakenly presented over the last week in terms of some of the commentary that has been made in respect of this.”

Fine Gael TD Michael Ring called the affair "nothing more than a cynical attempt [by Sinn Féin] to tarnish the reputation of a committed public servant" which "will not succeed". 

Fine Gael junior minister Peter Burke also obtained records from Sipo which show that there were "difficulties with the totals" in Sinn Féin's amended reports, which led to their having to submit amendments three times.

In the documents seen by the Irish Examiner, a staff member of Sipo tells Sinn Féin this issue "may have arisen from using an earlier version" of a Sipo form rather than the amended version which was ultimately furnished.

However, a spokesperson for Sinn Féin hit back, saying that the comments were "desperate".

"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," the spokesperson said.

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