Sinn Féin benefit in kind rather than in cash

The Friends of Sinn Féin filings states that the money it receives are for "the purpose of supporting the activities and purposes of Sinn Féin as a democratic political party engaged in Ireland and in many countries throughout the world in promoting the Irish peace process by social welfare, political and educational purposes".

Under the Republic’s electoral laws, Sinn Féin is not allowed to accept any foreign donations.

Friends of Sinn Féin chairman James Cullen said that because of campaign finance rules in Northern Ireland, and to avoid any doubt that the party is circumventing regulations, he prefers to pay for bills rather than send money back across the Atlantic.

"We want to assure people in the Fara [US Foreign Agents Registration Act] unit that everything is transparent and I can't think of a better way to ensure that than to furnish them with the bills, with the cheques, rather than sending over money to take care of things," he said.

The money is used to pay for office costs such as buying computers and mobile phones, and to purchase secondhand cars to transport party workers around Northern Ireland, he said. “It is laughable when you see the cars that they buy at times.”

He stressed that no money is spent in the Republic. He knows "because I actually pay the bill," he said. "So I make the cheque out to Joe's Used Auto Lot or Fred's Printing Company in Derry," he said, using hypothetical examples of the kinds of businesses he writes cheques to.

Stringent rules

Mr Cullen

said Friends of Sinn Féin abides by more stringent disclosure rules than some of the political parties back in Ireland. “We are very mindful that we not only have to ensure that we comply with American statutory and regulatory restrictions, which we do, but then there are also the Northern Ireland campaign finance regulations and then there are those regulations in the Republic that are designed to make it appear that the other political parties are open and transparent when in fact they are not.”

Friends of Sinn Féin incurred $106,004 in expenses in the six-month period to the end of October 2014, according to the most recent biannual return to the US department of justice. Travel-related expenses totalled $56,241, staff pay and payroll taxes of $27,030, general and administrative expenses of $9,922 and rent of $9,357.