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Declan J. Ganley (born approx. 1968) is a UK born businessman and political activist. Ganley lives in Abbeyknockmoy, County Galway.

Business career

Ganley is currently chairman and CEO of Rivada Networks, a US defence contractor specializing in military telecom systems. In the past, he has been involved in business ventures selling Russian aluminium and in the Latvian forestry sector, where he was made a foreign affairs adviser after it gained independence in 1991. Back in Ireland, Ganley had owned the high-profile jewellery website, Adornis.com, which collapsed after the downturn in the technology sector. A 2006 interview in CNBC’s European Business magazine suggested Ganley had a personal worth of €300 million.

Ganley's "Libertas" Group has strong links with the American Military and the arms trade. Recent media reports, highlighted during his 'No' to the Lisbon Treaty Campaign, have questioned the financial sources of the campaign, who are his donors and what is the 'real' motive of his campaign. In April, 2008 Libertas announced that Ulick McEvaddy was "joining the No To Lisbon Campaign". McEvaddy, like Ganley, has links to the US military. Both men are CEOs of US based companies (Omega Air and Rivada Networks) that supply equipment to the US military.

U.S Foreign Policy Research Institute

Ganley's wrote policy papers for an American think tank the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Libertas

Ganley is the founder and Chairman of Libertas, a lobby group advocating a no vote to the 2008 referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon in Ireland. Ganley's first mention of Libertas was in a paper Constitutional Treaty; A Threat to Democracy and How to Avoid it that he wrote for the U.S Foreign Policy Research Institute.

Libertas says it is funded by private donations, which is perfectly legal, though donations above a certain amount will have to be disclosed by the group after the referendum. According to the group, Ganley and his wife have already donated the maximum amount of €6,300.

Intimidation of Opponents

Mr Ganley has been accused of intimidating his opponents, such as during the 2007 general election when he intimidated the family of Green Party candidate Niall O'Brolchain. Mr O'Brolchain accused Mr Ganley of hiring lawyers to serve a High Court notice intended for Mr O'Brolchain on Mr O'Brolchain's wife in an intimidating manner. Mr O'Brolchain's anti-war stance would contradict Mr Ganley's business interests.

References

1. "Declan J. Ganley". www.rivada.com. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
2. ^ Daly, Gavin (2006-03-19). "US magazine claims Ganley set to become billionaire". The Sunday Business Post. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
3. Ganley, Declan (December 2003). "Europe's Constitutional Treaty: A Threat to Democracy and How to Avoid It". Foreign Policy Research Institute. Retrieved 2008-05-30. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |accessdaymonth=, |accessyear=, |accessmonthday=, and |coauthors= (help); More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
4. "Libertas and its letters from Austria". The Sunday Business Post. 2008-05-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
5. Ganley, Declan (December 2003). "Europe's Constitutional Treaty: A Threat to Democracy and How to Avoid It". Foreign Policy Research Institute. Retrieved 2008-05-30. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |accessdaymonth=, |accessyear=, |accessmonthday=, and |coauthors= (help); More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
6. "Libertas and its letters from Austria". The Sunday Business Post. 2008-05-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
7. http://www.independent.ie/national-news/businessman-wrecked-my--dail-campaign-1280708.html

External Links

• Libertas homepage
• Libertas: US Military Contractors Against Lisbon!
• ACLIS: Declan J. Ganley
• TanPortal News: Declan J. Ganley & Albania

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