Statement from Eoin Hayes TD on his previous employment with Palantir.
“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 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.”
Statement from Social Democrats deputy leader Cian O’Callaghan.
“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.”