Sipo refers candidates to DPP

A total of 23 General Election candidates or their agents have been referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for failing to furnish expenses statements to the Standards in Public Office Commission.

The candidates involved were mostly non-party and all were unsuccessful in their attempts to get elected to the Dáil in the national poll in February. One Green Party and one Workers Party candidate were involved. The candidates are named in the Commission’s report sent to the Ceann Comhairle today.

“In early September 2011 the Standards Commission sent files to Garda Headquarters concerning the remaining candidates/election agents who had failed to return the required statutory documentation,” the report said.

“These referrals include candidates/election agents who failed to return Donation Statements, Certificates of Monetary Donations, Statutory declarations or Election Expenses Statements.”

Meanwhile, election expenses of €9.28 million were disclosed by candidates and political parties for the 2011 general election, a decrease of almost 16 per cent on the €11.08m figure reported in 2007. There were 100 more candidates in 2011.

The highest expenditure was reported on behalf of Fine Gael and its candidates at €3,120,238. This was followed by Fianna Fáil with €2,138,793; the Labour Party with €1,956,813 and Sinn Féin with €496,928.

No candidate is reported to have exceeded the statutory expenditure limits, according to the Commission. The limit for the 2011 General Election was €30,150 in three-seat constituencies; €37,650 in four-seaters and €45,200 in constituencies with five seats.

A total of 327 candidates qualified for reimbursement of election expenses and the total certified for payment to date is €2,503,857.

Candidates who are elected are required to furnish a Donation Statement to the Standards Commission before January 31st 2012 disclosing donations valued at more than €634.87 received in 2011.

In terms of donations disclosed by unsuccessful candidates, donations with a total value of €285,618 were disclosed by 102 unsuccessful candidates.

The unsuccessful candidate disclosing the highest donations was Martin Daly, a non-party candidate from Mayo, with €17,166. Independent Dylan Haskins in Dublin South-East was second with €14,098. Sinn Fein’s Larry O’Toole in Dublin North-East was third with €10,691.

In fourth place was Mannix Flynn, an Independent who contested Dublin South-East, with €9,097. He was followed by Fianna Fail’s Dáithí O'Donnabhain in Cork North West with €9,050 and Fine Gael’s Michael D'Arcy in Wexford with €8,900.

The Commission referred 23 files to the Gardaí/DPP in relation to failing to furnish expenses statements. These related to the Green Party’s John Andrew Carey in Mayo and the Workers Party’s Seamus McDonagh in Meath West.

The others referred were non-party. They were: Michael Beirne (Kildare North); Patrick Brassil (Clare); Claire Cullinane (Cork East); Liam Dumpleton (Laois-Offaly); Dermot Finn (Kerry South); Eddie Fitzpatrick (Laois-Offaly); Sean Forkin (Mayo); Robert Glynn (Louth); Louann Guerin, election agent for Jimmy Guerin (Dublin North-East).

Also, Sean Kearns (Roscommon-South Leitrim); James Kelly, election agent for Kate Bopp (Tipperary North); Sharon Keogan (Meath East); Gerard Kiersey (Waterford); Matt Larkin (Limerick City); Antóin MacCómháin, election agent for Sean Connolly Farrell (Dublin South-Central); Dominic Mooney (Dublin South-Central); John O'Hara (Carlow-Kilkenny); Diarmaid Ó Cadhla (Cork South-Central); Ryan Stewart (Donegal North-East); Raymond Whitehead (Dublin South); Robin Wilson (Louth).