Mick Wallace’s Left group in the European Parliament are still awaiting an account from the Ireland South MEP about earnings from a wine bar business that were initially omitted from his financial declarations.
In an interview with South East Radio’s Morning Mix, Mr Wallace said he earns €53 a week in an advisory role for Wallace Calcio Ltd, a business that operates three wine bar restaurants in central Dublin. The company was founded by Mr Wallace but is now owned by his niece, former partner, and three Italians, according to financial statements.
Mr Wallace’s role was giving the owners “advice and stuff”, he said in the interview.
“I’ve contacts with wine producers in Italy. I’ve kept my link with the bar but I don’t own any of it,” he said. “In August 2019, just after I got elected to Europe, they started giving me a small sum for a little bit of work I was doing on it but literally over the last three and a half years it has amounted to an average of €53 a week before tax and I pay 40 per cent tax on it.”
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[ Mick Wallace earned undeclared money as ‘adviser’ to wine bar businessOpens in new window ]
Mr Wallace’s earnings from the company came to light after he claimed to own three wine bars in a video posted on social media by a right-wing Italian MEP. This led to Mr Wallace filing a revised financial statement to declare that he earns money from the business. In the interview, he clarified that it was “inaccurate” to say he owns the wine bars.
The leadership of the Left political grouping that Mr Wallace is part of are seeking a meeting with him “as soon as possible” so that the matter can be explained, its co-chair Manon Aubry told The Irish Times.
“The Left Co-Presidents will discuss the issue with MEP Wallace as soon as possible in order to clarify the situation and check whether there’s been a breach of ethical rules,” Ms Aubry said, adding that the group wanted “to ensure all members of our group adhere to the highest ethics standards.
“We will show the same passion to guarantee this within our organisation, as we have when it comes to the European Parliament and EU as a whole.”
The revelations about undisclosed earnings have come amid long-running unhappiness within the group over Mr Wallace’s use of its speaking slots to advance foreign policy positions that are deeply opposed by some of its members.
Undeclared financial interests are also a highly sensitive topic for the political group at a time when it is seeking to distance itself from the kind of misconduct revealed within its rival centre-left socialist and Democrat group by the continuing Qatargate scandal.
[ ‘Hard cash’: Roberta Metsola on Qatargate and how Ukraine transformed the EUOpens in new window ]
Mr Wallace said it was “wrong” and “a mistake” for him not to declare the earnings.
“I shouldn’t make a mistake like that. I should be more careful. There’s no doubt about it but public representatives should adhere to the requirements and I didn’t do that but the minute I found out that it was an oversight of mine, I rectified it there last week. As soon as I found out that I wasn’t compliant with the rules I dealt with it,” he told South East Radio.
“Of course I was wrong in that I didn’t put it up on the parliament register and that was a mistake on my part, I should have been more careful.”
