Call to probe finances of Sinn Fein on both sides of the irish border as poll shows increased support

The survey, carried out by Ireland Thinks for the Sunday Independent, indicates that support for Sinn Fein is at 34%, up three percentage points on the July poll.

It indicates the party has made some gains since June when it was on 32%, and March when it had gained support of 29%.

However, David Brooks of the DUP has said “questions need to be asked” about how the finances of Sinn Fein are organised on both sides of the irish border.

Highlighting paperwork filed with the Department of Justice in the United States last year – showing that ahead of last year’s assembly election more than $54,000 (£42,000) was sent to Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland by the Friends of Sinn Fein organisation in the US – Mr Brooks said Sinn Fein “is not a normal political party”.

In October last year, the Irish Times also reported Sinn Fein channelling “hundreds of thousands of euros” from its Dublin-based headquarters to the party’s Northern Ireland branch in recent years – based on audited accounts submitted by Sinn Fein.

The accounts, published by the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo), showed that Sinn Fein received the largest income of any party in the Republic, taking in €5.5m in 2021, of which €5.1m was state funding.

Due to Sinn Fein’s financial structures being organised on both a 26-county and six-county basis, the party was able to accept a £3 million bequest from the estate of deceased Englishman, William Hampton.

Mr Brooks, who is the DUP’s spokesman on US engagement, said foreign cash donations are having an influence on the political landscape in Northern Ireland as well as in the Republic.

“Foreign donations are outlawed across all other parts of the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland, yet at least $50,000 was funnelled to Sinn Fein in advance of last year’s assembly election,” he said.“Sinn Fein happily trumpet how their organisation in Northern Ireland is entirely separate from the party in the Republic when it comes to money.

“Sinn Fein not only takes a conveniently partitionist attitude to such donations, but there are serious questions about its wider finances.”

Mr Brooks added: “It is time that Sinn Fein’s finances were the subject of serious scrutiny on both sides of the border.

“There have been claims of financial irregularities amounting to ‘hundreds of thousands of euro’ within the Republic, whilst foreign donations are being used to influence politics in Northern Ireland.

“As a major property owner on the island of Ireland and the richest party, there needs to be transparency and openness about Sinn Fein finances.”

In response to the Irish Times probe, Sinn Fein said that as “an all-island party we are obliged to meet legal requirements that occasionally differ in both jurisdictions in respect of financial reporting. In this instance, the Electoral Commission and Sipo require spending to be identified under different account headings.”

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has not been speaking publicly since she announced at the end of June she would be taking a “number of weeks” off to recover from surgery.

The August poll indicates that Fine Gael remains on 19%; Fianna Fail is on 18%, down one percentage point; and the Green Party is on 5%, up two percentage points.

In the wake of increased focus on the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee over Garda recruitment numbers and safety issues in Dublin city, half of voters polled indicated they were not satisfied with her performance.

The poll was carried out on August 4-5 among 1,272 adults, and has a margin of error of 2.8%.

The 2020 general election in the Republic saw Sinn Fein's popularity surge across all age groups, leading to it gaining 24.5% of first-preference votes and 37 seats, up from 22 seats in the previous general election.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he intends to lead his Fine Gael party into the next general election and hopes to form a government afterwards – and has categorically ruled out a coalition with Sinn Fein.