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The statement was issued by senator and European elections hopeful Regina Doherty last month, distributed by the Fine Gael press office and published on the party’s website.
The Irish Independent revealed last Friday that solicitors for Ms Daly and Mr Wallace had sought retraction of the statement, its removal from the Fine Gael website and an apology to the two MEPs. The letter also suggested they might be entitled to damages.
While the statement remains online, Fine Gael has published an addendum, which states: “MEPs Clare Daly and Mick Wallace confirm that they did not travel with MEP Tatjana Zdanoka to an event in Lithuania, which confirmation is accepted.”
It is understood that the addendum was added following further correspondence between the two parties in recent days.
Ms Doherty, the former social protection minister who is seeking her party’s nomination to run in Dublin for the European Parliament in June, said she stood over the thrust of the original statement.
“Notwithstanding the minor correction to the press statement, the substantive point remains that Ms Daly and Mr Wallace should clarify the nature of their relationship with an MEP who is being investigated by the European Parliament over allegations she has been working with Russian intelligence,” she told the Irish Independent.
Fine Gael senator Regina Doherty
The European Parliament has launched an investigation into Ms Zdanoka, who has been accused by a Russian independent news outlet, The Insider, of collaborating with Russia’s FSB security services since as far back as 2005. She denies the claims.
Ms Daly and Mr Wallace have taken part in a number of events with Ms Zdanoka in recent years. They voted the same way as her on several European Parliament votes related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago.
In 2021 and 2022, they travelled to Lithuania to demonstrate in support of Algirdas Paleckis, a former politician who was convicted of spying on behalf of Russia in return for payment. Ms Zdanoka has also travelled to Lithuania to show support.
The two MEPs have dismissed stories linking them with Ms Zdanoka, but have not responded substantively to media queries.
Ms Daly previously told the Irish Independent via text: “We broke up years ago…she never did the washing up..”.
Speaking on the I4C Trouble podcast with Clare Daly and Mick Wallace on February 5, Ms Daly referred to Ms Doherty’s statement and said: “I should say there’s no allegations against us as being a Russian spy, except from some poor little craytur in Fine Gael who wants to run for the European election.
“We were linked with somebody against whom there are allegations of being a Russian spy.
“Now, if that’s who we’re linked with, I’d say a lot of the MEPs, including a load of the Irish ones, would want to get worried because we’re equally linked with them on a load of stuff in the same way as we’re linked with her.
“We’re not linked with anybody except ourselves, we’re Independent, we love our independence.”
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