The suspension of Dublin Bay South TD Eoin Hayes from the Social Democrats is to be extended following a review by its national executive, acting party leader Cian O’Callaghan has said.
Mr Hayes was suspended from the party in December with “immediate effect” after it emerged that he sold his shares in a US software company that supplies Israel Defense Forces (IDF) a month after he was elected as a councillor last June.
This contradicted information previously given by Mr Hayes to the effect that he had sold the shares in Palantir, where he worked from 2015 to 2017, before he entered politics.
Speaking to reporters before the Dáil sat on Tuesday, Mr O’Callaghan said the review had been completed and considered by the party’s national executive, which decided to endorse the decision of the parliamentary party to indefinitely suspend Mr Hayes. His party membership is not affected.
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Mr O’Callaghan faced lengthy questioning about the duration of the suspension and whether there was a way back for Mr Hayes, who was put out of the parliamentary party before ever sitting in the Dáil as a Social Democrats TD following his election in late November.
When pressed, Mr O’Callaghan said Mr Hayes could be readmitted at a later date, but he offered no timeline.
He said other parties had suspended the whip from members without a time limit, but did not have an example when one was sought.
The party later pointed to the indefinite suspensions handed down to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael senators following the 2020 Golfgate controversy.
Mr O’Callaghan said Mr Hayes could apply to rejoin, or the party could independently decide to readmit him. He said the suspended TD was informed of the decision by the party’s general secretary.
Mr Hayes was contacted seeking a response to the development but said he did not wish to comment
The review found Mr Hayes provided incomplete information to the party surrounding his shareholding and did not disclose the value of it before running in the general election.
The review will not be published but Mr O’Callaghan said it found that candidate selection processes had to be strengthened with more robust questions asked. He said the Social Democrats were not waiting for Mr Hayes’s resignation.
When Mr Hayes was elected to Dublin City Council for Kimmage-Rathmines, he signed a declaration of assets in which he stated: “I completely divested from all holdings within the last 12 months”.
The document is dated June 26th, 2024, before Mr Hayes sold his shares.
Mr Hayes has said he filled in the form incorrectly and it was in fact submitted in July, which is the date not on the form itself but has been recorded by Dublin City Council as the date it was received.
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