Sinn Féin's Eoin Ó Broin says 'world of difference' between party's Sipo problems and Donohoe's
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing, Eoin Ó Broin. File Picture: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos
Sinn Féin's housing spokesperson says his party's errors regarding undeclared expenses were rectified as soon as they were brought to its attention.
Speaking this morning, Eoin Ó Broin said there was "a world of difference" between Sinn Féin's errors and Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe's.
On Thursday, Sinn Féin admitted that its 2020 election expenses statement to the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) would have to be corrected for a fourth time after it discovered new errors in its returns.
A party spokesperson put the latest errors down to "an administrative error that should not have happened."
He said that the hosting of the Abú database - what is essentially the party's internal canvassing and polling system - costs €45 per month.
Mr Ó Broin said because it was a recurring charge, it was his party's understanding that it was not required to be recorded as an election expense.
He said Sipo had written to Sinn Féin on foot of a complaint by a Fine Gael activist about the issue and that the party would "absolutely respond to them."
"What I'm saying is there is a world of difference between administrative errors, no matter how sloppy they are, and the refusal and failure to answer questions about significant corporate donations," he told RTÉ Radio's .
"I think it is a mistake to make a false equivalence."
He added that Sinn Féin is "being absolutely transparent" and honest with the public in reflecting its own errors.
On Tuesday, Paschal Donohoe told the Dáil that in 2020 in the Dublin Central constituency Fine Gael had "unknowingly" received a corporate donation above the legal limit.
Mr Donohoe said his own expenses around the 2020 election had been updated to include an additional €1,256.20 spend to put up posters.
But Mr Ó Broin said that Mr Donohoe still had "significant questions to answer" on the matter.
"That's a world of difference for 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."
Speaking about his own party's errors, Mr Ó Broin said "where mistakes were made, the moment they were brought to our attention, we acknowledged the mistakes and we rectified them".
