DONOHOE HAS BEEN ‘SINCERE & SERIOUS’
Minister to give Dail statement on election donations storm
PASCHAL Donohoe said he has dealt with all questions about political donations during elections with “sincerity and seriousness”.
The embattled Public Expenditure Minister is due to make a second statement to the Dail today on political payments.
It follows his revelations last week that he failed to disclose postering work done for him during the 2016 General Election by businessman Michael Stone which was valued at €1,100.
This should have been declared as a political donation. Mr Donohoe’s spokeswoman last night told the Irish Mirror: “All of the issues that have been raised have been treated with absolute sincerity and seriousness by the minster.
“He will address the matters raised, both through his speech and by taking questions in the Dail tomorrow afternoon.”
Last week, the Irish Mirror revealed companies whose director paid people to hang posters for Mr Donohoe received Government payments worth €8.7million.
It has since emerged two firms of which Mr Stone was a director received at least 141 payments over six years – including for work in Leinster House.
Mr Donohoe insisted last week he had no role in the awarding of such contracts. Company directorship website Visionnet shows as well as Designer Group, Mr Stone is a director of nine other companies.
It also shows he was a director of Sensori Facilities Management Ltd between August 2014 and January 2022.
The company was a joint venture between Designer Group and construction services company John Sisk & Son launched in 2019.
Sisk acquired the company in 2022.