Sinn Féin are a partitionist party when it comes to donations – Callaghan

Sinn Féin accepting a €44,000 donation from the estate of a deceased man highlights their willingness to recognise the border when it comes to political donations, a Fine Gael General Election candidate has said.

The late Michael Dollard listed Sinn Féin’s headquarters in Dublin as the beneficiary of the €44,000, but Irish electoral laws prohibit political parties from accepting donations of more than €2500 from a single donor.

Catherine Callaghan, Fine Gael’s General Election candidate in Carlow-Kilkenny, said: “Sinn Féin’s readiness to take advantage of the border when it will benefit their bank account is clear for everyone to see.

“They have cynically exploited a loophole to accept this €44,000, as they have done several times in the past. Accepting the over £37,000 (sterling) money in Northern Ireland to avoid laws in the Republic demonstrates a striking lack of respect for political transparency and standards.

“This is clearly comfortable territory for Sinn Féin. It bears resemblance to their accepting €4.75m from the estate of Englishman William Hampton.

“The latest donation was clearly left for Sinn Féin in this jurisdiction, with the estate stating ‘Sinn Féin political party, having its registered office at 44 Parnell Street, Dublin 1.’ It wasn’t listed to be donated to their separate Northern operation.

“Sinn Féin should return this money, if they hold any value in the democratic system we have in this country.

“Their approach to these matters calls into question their seriousness about achieving a United Ireland, if they can drop their principles for the sake of a few quid,” Ms Callaghan concluded.