Amnesty International gets permission to challenge SIPO order

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Amnesty International’s Irish section got permission to challenge a Standards in Public Office Commission order in the High Court, reported on 12 February 2018. The order required it to return a €137,000 donation for a campaign supporting repeal of the Eighth Amendment. The organisation denies the donation was for political purposes and seeks to have SIPO’s decision quashed. The proceedings also seek declarations that SIPO acted unlawfully and breached constitutional, European and EU rights. Mr Justice Seamus Noonan granted permission on an ex-parte basis, with the matter returnable in April.