A BITTER row over the funding of the rival campaigns has erupted with just days to go before the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.
The spending of €150,000 by the European Commission on a guide to the Lisbon Treaty distributed by Irish Sunday newspapers was described as “illegal” by No campaigners, while Declan Ganley and Libertas came under fire for accepting money from a British hedge fund manager.
Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan yesterday described as “disturbing” a report that Libertas had received £3,000 in cash and non- cash donations of £13,964 from Crispin Odey, a London hedge fund manager.
Mr Lenihan told a press conference in Dublin that “one of the main backers of Mr Declan Ganley, who has lately taken up the cudgels against Lisbon again, is a London-based hedge fund which could hardly be described as being interested in the economic wellbeing of this country.” In fact, “quite a number of these hedge funds have taken out specific bets” on the insolvency of Ireland , Mr Lenihan said.
Mr Ganley responded by saying that Mr Odey’s donation had nothing to do with the Irish referendum campaign but related to the UK European elections last June.
“It was a donor who donated for that purpose and that money was well spent on the British election campaign in time for the European elections. That’s it. It’s got nothing to do with this,” he said. Mr Ganley said the Minister was very good at “spouting out” untruths.
Information about Mr Odey’s donation appeared on the website of Britain’s electoral commission. It also lists contributions to Libertas of £10,000 from an Adam Fleming and £25,000 from Richard Carss. Mr Carss is a director of Mauritius-based MCB Investment Management and a manager with London-based Genesis Investment Management.
It also emerged yesterday that the European Commission had paid €150,000 for the insertion of a guide to the Lisbon Treaty in Irish Sunday newspapers. The commission said the 16-page guide to the treaty was not specifically targeted at Ireland but was produced for the citizens of all 27 member states. “In fact, the guide makes no specific reference to Ireland at all – other than to note the result of the first referendum and the date of the second referendum,” said a commission spokeswoman.
Former MEP Patricia McKenna, chairwoman of the People’s Movement, said she had sent a legal letter warning the commission she would take out an injunction against any newspaper carrying the guide to Lisbon . “This clearly breaches Irish law as set down by the Supreme Court in the McKenna judgment in 1995. . .’’