Sinn Féin's housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin has said Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe is not owed an apology after it emerged that there were expenses for events that were undeclared by Sinn Féin.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said there is a big difference between what Sinn Féin has done and Mr Donohoe’s failure to declare expenses related to posters for an election campaign.
"And the attempt by some politicians to draw equivalents to what are effectively relatively minor administrative errors on our part versus refusal and failure to declare very significant corporate donations in kind is a world of difference," said Mr Ó Broin this morning.
"We have made a number of errors. They have been brought to our attention, in some instances by the media, and as soon as they have been brought to our attention, we've rectified them immediately.
"That's a world of a difference from Paschal, who failed to declare significant donations, was notified in 2017, did nothing about it, was notified in 2022, did nothing about it. Came before the Dáil once, didn't declare his full donations, and still has very significant questions to answer."
Sinn Féin housing spokesperson @EOBroin tells @morningireland
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) January 27, 2023
Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform @Paschald is not owed an apology after it emerged Sinn Féin did not declare expenses for several events | https://t.co/2rvDjfWFiK pic.twitter.com/ktGE8UFvvr
Mr Ó Broin said that there is a "distinction" between the cases where his party has not declared expenses and Mr Donohoe because "where mistakes were made, the moment they were brought to our attention, we acknowledged the mistakes and we rectified them".
Mr Ó Broin's comments come as Sinn Féin's 2020 election expenses statement to the Standards in Public Office Commission will have to be corrected again after the party found further errors in its returns.
Two invoices with sterling values of £4,800 and £800 were sent by the party to SIPO in 2020, but the euro value should have been returned.
This means the party under declared its election expenses for 2020 by €945.
It will be the fourth time Sinn Féin has returned its 2020 election expenses to SIPO.
Mr Ó Broin said that Mr Donohoe was notified again in 2022 about those donations and did nothing about it.
"Paschal Donohoe still hasn't accounted for the full commercial value of not one, but two commercial donations from a significant business figure who went on to get appointments to state boards, some outside the public appointments process, and is a recipient of very significant state contracts."
In relation to the hosting of websites by Sinn Féin, he said that they were a recurring charge.
"Our understanding is because it's a recurring charge that would have to be paid, whether it was an election or not, there is no requirement to record it as an election expense, but it is recorded, and it is published in our annual accounts.
"SIPO have written to us, on foot of a complaint from a Fine Gael activist. We will absolutely respond to them.
"But our understanding is, like for example, the hosting of our party website, because it's not a specific election expense, it's just an ongoing recurring expense, it doesn't require declaration in your election returns. It's €45.00 a month, but it's you that's drawing the equivalents. I'm not bringing Pascal into this conversation.
"You're drawing an equivalence and what I'm saying is there is a world of a difference between administrative errors, no matter how sloppy they are, and the refusal and failure to answer questions about significant corporate donations.
"They aren't the same thing," said Mr Ó Broin.
He said that Sinn Féin is "absolutely" co-operating with SIPO in relation to the issues.
"However, it is our view and not just a Sinn Féin view, but the Opposition view that, in fact, Paschal hasn't answered key questions, both in relation to the corporate donation in kind in 2016 and again in 2020. And the significance of his failure to do so, is Paschal may actually be in breach of the overall spending limits in both elections.
"Something that even with the list of administrative errors and in my view, sloppy administrative errors that the party has made, we would not be.
"They are not the same and on that basis I think it is a mistake to draw false equivalence."
He added that Sinn Féin is "being absolutely transparent, and rectifying every error and we are being honest with the public".
"Paschal still hasn't declared the full value of the corporate donations, and he still hasn't clarified whether he breached spending rules," added Mr Ó Broin.
It is right that SIPO investigate the matter, Fine Gael TD for Dublin South West Colm Brophy said, but he added that Deputy O Broin did not answer his own party's issue.
"Pearse Doherty and co who believe the character assassination of Fine Gael ministers is their primary objective in politics spent the whole week wasting a lot of time," he said.
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne programme Deputy Brophy said Sinn Féin should comply with SIPO rules in both jurisdictions as an all-Ireland party, adding that it was a "disgrace" for them to pocket money illegally from sources outside the republic of Ireland.
