Sir, – Should Amnesty International Ireland be allowed to keep a donation of €137,000 given to it by US billionaire George Soros's Open Society Foundation, for the purpose of repealing the Eighth Amendment (Home News, December 12th)? The aim of this donation of €137,000 is to remove legal protection for the unborn and help end Irish lives.
Contrary to a directive by the Standards in Public Office (Sipo) Commission to return the money, Colm O’Gorman, Executive Director of Amnesty International Ireland, has refused.
Irish law states that third party groups seeking to influence the outcome of a referendum cannot receive: 1. Foreign donations 2. Donations greater than €6,348 from a single source. In both source and sum this donation is in breach of Irish law.
Amnesty International Ireland should give back the money. – Yours, etc,
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TERESA TOMKINS,
Knocklyon,
Dublin 16.