LIBERTAS HAS replied to questions from the Standards in Public Office Commission about aspects of the funding of its campaign last year against the Lisbon Treaty.
The organisation has also supplied the commission, as required by law, with a copy of a bank account into which all political donations received during 2008 should have been lodged. The information has not been made public.
Last month the commission sent a report to Minister for the Environment John Gormley in which it stated that Libertas had failed to respond to requests for information about loans to the group, and other matters. Libertas said it had not been told there was a deadline for supplying the information.
The commission asked Libertas about the loans after it learned from media reports that founder Declan Ganley said he had organised a credit facility for Libertas.
The report said Mr Ganley wrote to the commission on August 13th, 2008, confirming that Libertas had received a personal loan from him “in respect of which a detailed legal agreement and repayment plan in accordance with commercial lending norms” had been agreed. The commission sought further details but these had not been supplied at the time of the publication of the report.
The commission had also been seeking information on the status of persons who media reports indicated had been working for Libertas while being employees of the Irish arm of Mr Ganley’s US-based company, Rivada networks.
Libertas has supplied the commission with a copy of a bank statement for 2008 of the account under which in law it is obliged to lodge all political donations received. It has also supplied a certificate stating that all funds lodged were for political purposes.
A spokesman for the commission explained that the information in the bank statement cannot be disclosed. He said the Libertas response would now be considered. A call to a Libertas spokesman was not returned.
Under the law, the money lent to Libertas would not be a donation if it was given on normal commercial terms and so would not have to be lodged to the bank account designated for donations.
There is ongoing controversy in Poland over reports that Libertas there was offered loans that would be guaranteed by Mr Ganley, Mr Ganley said: “It never happened.”
