Al Nassr secures 5-1 victory over Al Ain to edge closer to knockout stage    Saudi Deputy FM meets Lt. Gen. Al-Burhan of Sudan    Al-Khateeb: Saudi Arabia is the largest global investor in tourism sector "Saudi Land" pavilion inaugurated at World Travel Market in London    Saudi Crown Prince, Japanese PM discuss over phone efforts made to achieve peace in the region    Saudi Arabia, in its drive to enrich Arab culture, launches Arab Week at UNESCO in Paris    Neymar exits Al Hilal match with muscle injury, leaving fans disappointed    AlHisn Big Time Studios unveiled to transform film and TV production in Riyadh    Saudi Arabia approves cooperation agreement with US for the use of outer space for peaceful purposes    Quality of Life Program CEO highlights Saudi urban transformations at UN-Habitat conference in Cairo    Almarai wins 'Best Corporate Sukuk' at Asset Triple A Islamic Finance Awards    Top climber falls to death after rare Himalayan feat    US voters flying home in time for election    Drones and snipers on standby to protect Arizona vote-counters    India's Modi condemns violence after Canada temple incident    Elon Musk can keep giving $1m to voters, judge rules    Mitrovic's hat-trick leads Al Hilal to 3-0 victory over Esteghlal    Al Ahli extends perfect start with 5-1 victory over Al Shorta    Quincy Jones, titan of US music, dies aged 91    Hidden sugars in Asia's baby food spark concerns    HONOR unveils pre-order of the stunning HONOR MagicBook Art 14 Featuring an ultra-slim design, HONOR Eye Comfort Display and AI Cross-OS WorkStation    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Declan Ganley, mystery man behind Lisbon no campaign
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 13 - 06 - 2008

Declan Ganley, 39, the founder and president of The
Libertas Institute, the "pan European think-tank" that spearheaded
the no vote on the European Union's Lisbon Treaty in Ireland, remains
something of a mystery man, according to dpa.
Libertas states in its charter that it is "a new European movement
dedicated to campaigning for greater democratic accountability and
transparency in the institutions of the EU."
However, there has been a great deal of speculation regarding the
links of the mysterious millionaire head of the group and where his
funding comes from.
Ganley has claimed that donations to his campaign range from "5
euros (8 dollars) from a grandmother" to 5,000 euros from business
people and that the group is fully compliant with the letter of the
law. He has repeatedly refused to fully disclose its funding.
"I am funding it and so are a lot of other people. We have a
donations facility online. We are collecting online donations. There
are some wonderful people that are stepping forward and writing
cheques," he told the Irish Independent newspaper.
When asked what the campaign budget was, the Libertas chairman
replied: "As much as we need to spend."
After the official independent Referendum Commission, Ganley's
group was the biggest spender in the campaign, announcing it would
spend 1.3 million euros. Some analysts believe the group spent far
more.
In comparison the ruling Fianna Fail party was estimated to be
spending around 700,000 euros in promoting a yes vote, the Irish
Independent reported.
Until he emerged as the president of the Libertas, Ganley, a
millionaire entrepreneur, was best known for his business activities,
most of which are concentrated outside Ireland.
Ganley, who dresses immaculately in a three-piece suit and speaks
with an English accent, was born in London. His Irish-born parents
took the family back to live in rural County Galway in the West of
Ireland when he was 13.
After school he went from working on construction sites in London
to a lowly position in an insurance company before going on to build
a business career.
From 1991, his CV states, "he built what became the largest
private forestry company in the Former Soviet Union, which he sold in
1997 to a consortium which included the Soros Group."
He founded wireless broadband and cable TV businesses, in Western,
Central and Eastern Europe, including Broadnet (sold to Comcast),
building and operating broadband wireless networks in 10 EU
countries, and Cabeltel, with an extensive cable multimedia network
in Eastern Europe.
For a brief period in 1992, Ganley acted as a foreign economic
affairs advisor to the Latvian government. He has also acted as
economic affairs advisor to the regional government of Vologda
(Russian Federation) in 1995/96.
His CV states that he "was an advisor on technology and terrorism"
to the Club De Madrid group of international heads of government and
has served as a member of the Futures Group of the Irish government's
Information Society Commission.
Much has been made of the fact that some companies with which
Ganley is associated do business with the US military.
He is president of Rivada Networks, which supplies emergency
communications networks to the US intelligence community.
This has led some in the yes camp and, indeed, on the no side, to
portray him as a slightly sinister figure whose organization is being
bankrolled by money from outside Ireland.
Ireland's satirical news magazine Phoenix has alleged that Ganley
has "extensive connections to the neo-con Republican administration"
and has published an article alleging that he was also closely
associated with companies involved in shady dealings in the attempt
to win contracts for the reconstruction of Iraq.
Ganley claims that he is motivated by the fact that the Lisbon
treaty is "anti-democratic" and that it has already been rejected by
tens of millions of people in France and the Netherlands in its
previous guise as the draft constitution.
He also claims to be fearful that tax harmonization plans would
scupper Ireland's economy, which is heavily dependent on its low-tax
status and foreign investment.
Ganley's CV states that he is "a recipient of the Louisiana
Distinguished Service Medal for what was cited as his life-saving
actions; delivering communications capability for the US military
post Hurricane Katrina."
Ganley lives in Galway and is married with four young children.


Clic here to read the story from its source.