The Standards in Public Offices Commission has questioned Sinn Féin about donations the party received in the US last year.
Sinn Féin declared €12,348.69 in donations to the Commission, which polices political donations and election expenditure in the Republic. But the Friends of Sinn Féin group in the US has there reported collecting $264,877.80 in the six months to the end of April last year "to support the activities of the foreign principal in Ireland".
With foreign donations to Irish parties forbidden by law since the start of 2002, the Commission asked whether all the money required to be disclosed had been declared. "We have an interim report from Sinn Féin saying that the matter is being examined that they will revert to us," said a spokesman.
Sinn Féin's general secretary, Mr Robbie Smyth, said the money collected in the US was used to pay invoices received in Northern Ireland and the US. "As far as we're concerned, we're fully compliant with all the legislation. We make strenuous efforts to make sure that we are. There's no US money being spent in the 26 counties since January 2002, when the act came into force," he said.
Following a new ban last year on donations in excess of €6,349, the Commission's register of donations for 2002 shows the total received by all the political parties falling to €265,799.52 from €947,768. But these sums may significantly understate income as there is no obligation to declare any donations of less than €5,078.
The figures show that Fianna Fáil declared significantly more than all the other parties together. It declared donations totalling €193,539, but returned €10,450. The party declared €6,000 from Bovale Developments, the property company heavily criticised in the interim report of the Flood Tribunal for making a corrupt payment to the former minister, Mr Ray Burke.
Fianna Fáil said yesterday the Bovale payment in question was received last summer, before the tribunal report was published in September. The party also received €6,349 from the property group Treasury Holdings, controlled by Mr John Ronan and Mr Richard Barrett. It also received €6,349 from the Treasury associate Spencer Dock Development Company, which plans a major development on land owned by CIE in the North Lotts areas of central Dublin. It received €9,648 from another Treasury associate, Castlemarket Holdings, but returned €3,350.
The Progressive Democrats, who declared €23,202, received money from Treasury Holdings, Ryanair and the drinks company C&C. Labour declared €18,313.83, with money coming from the MEP Mr Proinsias de Rossa and the MSF Amicus trade union.
The Greens declared €12,696 in donations received from MEPs Ms Nuala Ahern and Ms Patricia McKenna. The Socialist Party declared of €5,700 from its TD, Mr Joe Higgins. Fine Gael did not disclose any donations - a ban imposed by former leader, Mr Michael Noonan, was later reversed by his successor Mr Enda Kenny.
Exchequer funding, reflecting the electorate strength of the parties, was as follows: Fianna Fáil €3.99 million; PDs €639,214; Fine Gael €3.02 million; Labour €1.68 million; Sinn Féin €529,986; the Greens €505,463; Socialist Party €50,305.