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Ben Gilroy at the Meath East by-election count in March. Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland

By-election candidate referred to gardaí over election expenses

Ben Gilroy failed to file documentation related to his donations and expenses during the Meath East by-election but will qualify for reimbursement of expenses once he does.

BEN GILROY, THE Direct Democracy Ireland candidate who came a surprise fourth in the Meath East by-election, has been referred to gardaí after failing to file details of election donations and expenses.

Gilroy, who picked up 6.5 per cent of the vote and finished ahead of Labour’s Eoin Holmes, has said that he has spoken to gardaí and intends to file his donations and expenses statement to the Standards in Public Office Commission by the weekend.

“The gardaí were on to us,” Gilroy said. “The documentation is like a phone book of stuff you have to fill out. But we’ll be putting it in this weekend and they are happy enough with that.”

SIPO said it has received no communication from Gilroy or his election agent Conor Delgarno – both of whom have been referred to the gardaí – and declined to comment further.

However a spokesperson did confirm that Gilroy would be entitled to be reimbursed for his expenses once he files them, even though he missed the deadline of 22 May for relevant, statutory documentation to be submitted.

SIPO has also revealed that one candidate who did not disclose his expenditure in the 2007 general election, the 2009 local elections as well as this year’s by-election will not be referred to the gardaí or the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Despite breaching the law on disclosure three times Independent candidate Jim Tallon, who received 47 votes in Meath East, will not be referred to authorities this time as the DPP had previously found that “the public interest does not require a prosecution”.

Over €100,000 spent

Tallon has run in several elections in several constituencies since 1981. He was previously a candidate in the 2011 Dublin West by-election where we reported on his unusual portrayal of Knight Rider.

The figures released today show that a total of over €106,000 was disclosed as having been spent during the by-election which was won by Fine Gael’s Helen McEntee.

Candidates were limited to spending €31,150 each with McEntee spending the most – €29,842.59. Second placed Thomas Byrne, Fianna Fáil, spent €28,913.57.

Despite finishing fifth Labour’s Eoin Holmes spent €23,988.64 and third placed Darren O’Rourke, Sinn Féin, spent €15,450.85.

With SIPO rules stating that any donation in excess of €600 must be disclosed, there was just one disclosure with the Workers Party’s Seamus McDonagh saying he received a €763 donation.

A total of €34,800 will be paid by the Exchequer to the four candidates, McEntee, Byrne, O’Rourke and Gilroy who qualify for the maximum reimbursement of €8,700 having received at least a quarter of the quota.

Gilroy’s payment will be delayed until such time as he files his documentation.

Read: Helen McEntee describes first day in Dáil as “emotional”

Column: The Meath East by-election is small-scale but still has lessons for politicians

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58 Comments
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    Mute Beachmaster
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:07 AM

    Lowest viewing figure since 2008.

    92
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    Mute Bairéid Rísteard
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:16 AM

    @Beachmaster:hopefully them numbers will continue to dwindle. Apparently 70% of Hollywood’s revenue comes from outside the U.S. interesting statistic when you consider the amount of Americans they’ve managed to p1ss off, I guess they aren’t too bothered about the domestic market.

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    Mute Tony Skillington
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    Feb 28th 2017, 11:34 AM

    As one person tweeted after…M Night Shamalan did a great job directing the Oscars”..

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    Mute Daisy Daisy
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    Feb 28th 2017, 12:15 PM

    Shamalan went one better and tweeted that he wrote it! https://twitter.com/MNightShyamalan/status/836084032798670848

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Feb 28th 2017, 10:42 PM

    @Beachmaster: 2008 the year or those who watched it lol.

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    Mute LITTLEONE
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:13 AM

    Ratings down before this fiasco.. talk about making a##es of yourselves.

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    Mute Bairéid Rísteard
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:48 AM

    @LITTLEONE: the cynic in me says it was purposely done for the sake of controversy, and to get people talking .More than likely not, but I wouldn’t be a bit surprised.

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    Mute LITTLEONE
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    Feb 28th 2017, 10:33 AM

    Purposely done I doubt it. They have just made themselves look like complete twits . Out of touch with reality…

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    Mute Jamie Lyons
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    Feb 28th 2017, 8:55 AM

    ““I became an artist and thank God I did,” she continued “because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life.” — Viola Davis

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    Mute Titus Groan
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:04 AM

    Is anyone else sock of hearing about the Oscars? You’d swear it actually mattered…

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    Mute Joe Conlon
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:10 AM

    @Titus Groan: I’m sock of it too!

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    Mute Titus Groan
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:15 AM

    Like… the envelopes were mixed up and they all lost their mind. Some, their jobs. It’s a joke. It doesn’t matter!!!!

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    Mute Joseph Siddall
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:17 AM

    Jamie, and Viola Davis gets the Award for ‘Most Pretentious BS of The Century’. Proof, if proof were needed that these peoples learn scripts without understanding the meaning of the words.

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    Mute Mick Tobin
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:18 AM

    @Titus Groan: You’d be hearing about it for a lot longer in case it’d been the other way round – if La La Land had actually won and Moonlight erroneously read out.

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    Mute Gary Caffrey
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    Feb 28th 2017, 10:16 AM

    @Mick Tobin:

    Why do you think that?

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    Mute Gary Caffrey
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    Feb 28th 2017, 10:27 AM

    @Joseph Siddall:

    Maybe it was pretentious, but I am pretty sure after graduating from college, spending four years at Julliard and then performing the play on Broadway for 13 weeks, she understands the meaning of the words she is saying.

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    Mute Mick Tobin
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    Feb 28th 2017, 10:38 AM

    @Gary Caffrey: Remember last year’s hashtag? http://www.thejournal.ie/oscars-so-white-2016-2549939-Jan2016/ Vice versa the failure would have been all the more epic.

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    Mute Gary Caffrey
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    Feb 28th 2017, 10:47 AM

    @Mick Tobin:

    You are really trying hard to find a racial side to this. I think that says more about you than anything else.

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    Mute Mick Tobin
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    Feb 28th 2017, 10:53 AM

    @Gary Caffrey: Absolutely not. Just saying the cockup would have been rather more significant. I’m happy with more diversity now and glad it didn’t go the other way.

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    Mute Tony Skillington
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    Feb 28th 2017, 2:55 PM

    They put a sick it it at this stage..

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Feb 28th 2017, 10:47 PM

    @Titus Groan: Turns out those in the porn industry have their own award ceremony and the funny thing is that they wear more on their bodies as in clothing than those Hollywood actors, funny that?

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    Mute Emmet O'Keeffe
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    Feb 28th 2017, 12:35 PM

    Haha.
    The Donald has them rattled.

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    Mute Keiko
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    Feb 28th 2017, 2:03 PM

    And the winner of best propaganda goes to…. White Helmets /Al Queda.

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Feb 28th 2017, 10:45 PM

    @Keiko: Who killed the Syrian Civil Defence force and stole their equipment and who rob the dying of what they have as well as shoot others on sectarian grounds. Funny how in fact Hollywood has really given a reward to the same ones involved in 911 Al Queda really.
    https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=white+helmets+caught+faking+a+rescue&qpvt=white+helmets+caught+faking+a+rescue&FORM=VDRE

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Feb 28th 2017, 11:11 PM
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    Mute Ned O Mahony
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:43 PM

    Did they get any chance to bad mouth The Trumper

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