Minister Donohoe has broken the electoral rules not once, but twice
- Nash calls for money to be returned to Michael Stone immediately
Labour finance and public expenditure and reform spokesperson Ged Nash has today (Tuesday 24th January) said it is clear that Minister Paschal Donohue has broken the electoral rules not once, but twice and called on the Minister to make a clean break from the controversy by returning the donation made by Michael Stone immediately.
Deputy Nash said:
“This is another bad day for politics and leaves a very bitter taste in the mouths of people at the sharp edge of the housing, health and cost of living crisis. The truth of the matter is that the Minister has broken the electoral rules not once or twice and he is going to have to fully account to the Standards in Public Office Commission for that. The reality is that if it walks like a corporate donation to a candidate, talks like a corporate donation, it is a corporate donation, Saying anything else is pure fantasy and deflection.
“The Minister and the Fine Gael party are under extreme pressure here in their attempts today to manage the media and draw a line under the controversy. There are two ways to deal with this. Firstly, the Government can expedite the Public Sector Standards Bill first put forward by Brendan Howlin in 2015 and secondly, the Minister can pre-empt the SIPO investigation and adjudication by returning the donation to Michael Stone immediately.”