The political party received a sum of £1.5 million ($1.8 million) from one donor
Sinn Féin has received what is believed to be the largest private donation to a political party in Northern Ireland’s history.
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The Irish Times reports that Sinn Féin has confirmed it received a donation of £1.5 million ($1.8 million) from William E. Hamptom, a supporter of the party who has passed away.
The donation was made in two installments: £1m ($1.22m) in April and £500,000 ($609,000) in May of this year.
Northern Ireland’s Electoral Commission further confirmed the donation in a report on August 28 which showed that the total figure given to political parties was £1,839,973 ($2,243,869), with around £338,000 ($412,000) given to the other parties.
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A Sinn Féin spokesman said on Thursday: “Sinn Féin can confirm that it received a significant donation from a party supporter who passed away.
“We’re obviously pleased that he has chosen to bequest this sum to the party and it’s a positive boost to Sinn Féin in working towards Irish unity and towards our political objectives,” he added.
“We are in full compliance with the requirements of the Electoral Commission on all of this.”
Only donations greater than £7,500 ($9,150) need to be disclosed to the Electoral Commission.
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Ann Watt, the head of the Electoral Commission in Northern Ireland, said: “The political party donations and loans data that we have published allows voters to clearly see how parties in Northern Ireland are funded.
"This transparency helps to enhance public confidence and trust in our democratic process.”
The Belfast Telegraph reports that the Sinn Féin donation surpasses what was previously believed to be the largest Northern Ireland political party donation when the DUP received £435,000 ($530,000) from the pro-Brexit Constitutional Research Council.
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