LABOUR’S EUROPEAN Parliament candidate in the South constituency, Senator Alan Kelly, topped the list last year for disclosable political donations, according to details published yesterday by the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo).
Tipperary North-based Mr Kelly received €35,310.41 of the €163,394 in individual donations valued at more than €634.87 that were given to politicians during 2008.
Mr Kelly returned a €2,500 donation from a company called LNC Property Managers, which is controlled by businessman Ken McCullagh, who organised syndicates to buy property in the UK and elsewhere in recent years.
LNC paid £40 million for Heron International’s property on St James’s Street in London’s West End in 2006.
The Labour Euro candidate also returned half of a €5,000 donation received from a company, Ronoc International, Garrykennedy, Portroe, Nenagh, Co Tipperary, because it exceeded the €2,539.48 threshold that can be given by any one source to a politician during a year.
Mr Kelly said last night he had “just decided” to return the LNC contribution: “There was no big issue involved. I just didn’t think it was appropriate.”
He said part of the second contribution had been returned because the donor simply had not realised the threshold that exists on those that can be made.
So far, the Labour candidate has run a high-profile campaign for a Euro seat, backed up by a billboard campaign which has been running for months.
“In order to be able to run a campaign you have to be able to fundraise.
"You have to be able to compete. Some people have wanted us to have the chance to be victorious," he told The Irish Times.
He received a donation of €2,500 from his successful New York-based brother, Declan. Mr Kelly also declared a €1,000 donation from a Dublin PR firm, Financial Dynamics, a company founded by his brother.
Under the ethics rules, donations of money, property or services over €634.87 to a TD, Senator or MEP must be disclosed. The values of the donations must be aggregated and disclosed if the total is greater than €634.87.
Nearly 200 of the 237 politicians required to make donation statements to Sipo declared that they had not receiving any donations over the limits.
Politicians are prohibited from accepting foreign donations – but they can accept contributions from Irish citizens living abroad, or from accepting anonymous donations exceeding a value of €126.97.
Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern and fellow Dublin Central Fianna Fáil TD, Cyprian Brady both declared that they each received a contribution worth €19,000 for use of the St Luke’s constituency office in Drumcondra from FF’s constituency organisation.
Fine Gael’s Dublin North TD, James Reilly received donations of €15,950 from a golf classic. Fellow Dublin North TD Darragh O’Brien received €12,780.
Fianna Fáil politicians received €94,000, the highest proportion of the total disclosed. The Labour Party declared more than €40,000; Fine Gael more than €24,000, while the Greens disclosed one €1,200 donation.
Former minister of state John McGuinness declared two donations: one of €2,000 from Eoghan Hynes, Hytherm, Kells Road, Navan, Co Meath, and a €2,500 contribution from his party’s Kilkenny city St John’s Cumann.
Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey declared a €2,311 sponsorship from the Irish operation of the UK-based betting chain, Ladbrokes.
Fianna Fáil Donegal North East TD, Dr Jim McDaid, declared a donation worth €10,440 for the use of a constituency office from Noel McGinley of McGinley Motors, Pearse Road, Letterkenny.
Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea made three declarations, totalling €2,650: one of €1,000 from Carambola Ltd, Raheen Industrial Estate, Limerick; another of €1,000 from OHB Consulting, Barrington Street, Limerick and a third of €650 from John Cox, c/o Old Quarter, Ellen Street, Limerick. Independent Senator Rónán Mullen declared a €999 donation from Belfast-based charity fundraiser Margaret Tierney of Hollymount, Dunmurry.
