The TD has been suspended with immediate effect.
TD Eoin Hayes has been suspended from the Social Democrats after admitting that a statement he made today (Tuesday, 10 December) about the selling of his shares in company Palantir was “not true”.
The US software company is known for supplying technology to the Israeli Defence Forces.
Hayes said in a press conference on Tuesday that he sold his shares in the company before he entered politics.
In a follow-up statement, however, he revealed that this was actually “not true” and that he sold them in July one month after he was elected.
You can read his statement in full below:
“In the interests of full transparency, I want to provide all of the details surrounding my previous employment with software company Palantir.
“I worked for Palantir between 2015 and 2017 in internal operations, in areas like HR and IT, when I lived in the United States. I had absolutely no role in anything related to any military contracts, for the Israeli military or anyone else.
“As part of my salary package, I was provided with shares. The conditions attaching to those shares meant I was unable to sell them until 2021, six months after the company had gone public.
“Throughout the course of the past year, Palantir’s support for the Israeli military has markedly increased. In January, the company signed a new strategic partnership with the Israeli Defence Ministry. I should have sold my shares then and I deeply regret that I did not.
“I had 7,000 shares in the company, all of which dated from my employment nearly a decade ago, and sold them in July 2024 for a pre-tax figure of €199,000.
“Earlier today, during a press conference, I stated I had sold the shares before I entered politics. This was not true. It was a month after I was first elected.
“I unreservedly apologise for providing incorrect information and I am now correcting the record.”
Eoin Hayes
In response to this, Social Democrats deputy leader Cian O’Callaghan said: “Eoin provided incorrect information to the media when he stated he had sold his shares before he entered politics.
“In fact, his shares were sold a month later in July 2024. This is a serious matter which the party is now reviewing.”
This was before O’Callaghan confirmed in a follow-up statement that Hayes had been suspended from the Soc Dems.
Reiterating the gravity of the situation, the deputy leader added: “It is imperative that the media, who hold politicians to account on behalf of the public, can rely on the information they receive from elected representatives.
“For that reason, Eoin Hayes has been suspended from the Social Democrats parliamentary party with immediate effect.”
Images via Leon Farrell/RollingNews.ie
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