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21/02/2005
Leading SF members deny IRA membership
Three leading members of Sinn Fein have called on the Irish Government to have them arrested on charges of IRA membership following allegations made by an Irish Government Minister over the weekend.
Justice Minister Michael McDowell said on Sunday that prominent Sinn Fein members currently sat on the IRA Army Council and named the Republican party's President Gerry Adams, Chief Negotiator Martin McGuinness and North Kerry TD Martin Ferris as three such individuals.
However, in a joint statement on Monday, all three denied "categorically" the IRA membership allegations and of sitting on the IRA Army Council.
The statement read: “Recently the Irish government accused Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams of withholding information and of conspiring to rob the Northern Bank in December. We challenged the government to stand this accusation up and they failed to do so.
“And then at the weekend Michael McDowell made his unfounded and serious allegation that we - Martin McGuinness, Martin Ferris and Gerry Adams - are members of the IRA Army Council.
“For Minister McDowell to do this is an abuse of his office. If his view is shared by the Gardaí then the only way this issue can be confronted is for us to be charged with IRA membership.”
Yesterday, Mr Adams said that any republicans involved in criminality should be expelled from the movement. Speaking at an IRA memorial unveiling in Strabane, the Sinn Fein President said "no republican worthy of the name can be involved in criminality of any kind".
Meanwhile, the PSNI have said that the money found in Newforge Country Club in Belfast at the weekend was stolen in the Northern Bank robbery last December.
Five shrink-wrapped packages discovered by police in toilets at the Sports Club on Saturday each contained £10,000 of new Northern Bank notes. Police have confirmed that the notes bear consecutive serial numbers corresponding to numbers notified to the PSNI by the bank.
PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde said he believed Republicans planted the money at Newforge. The discovery apparently followed a call to the Police Ombudsman's office from someone purporting to be a police officer.
In the Republic of Ireland, Gardaí investigating an alleged money laundering operation have seized a further amount of cash estimated to be around £437,000.
The money is to be tested to see if it is linked to the £26 million Northern Bank raid blamed by the police on the IRA.
Almost £3 million has now been seized in the Garda operation since last Wednesday.
(MB/SP)
Justice Minister Michael McDowell said on Sunday that prominent Sinn Fein members currently sat on the IRA Army Council and named the Republican party's President Gerry Adams, Chief Negotiator Martin McGuinness and North Kerry TD Martin Ferris as three such individuals.
However, in a joint statement on Monday, all three denied "categorically" the IRA membership allegations and of sitting on the IRA Army Council.
The statement read: “Recently the Irish government accused Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams of withholding information and of conspiring to rob the Northern Bank in December. We challenged the government to stand this accusation up and they failed to do so.
“And then at the weekend Michael McDowell made his unfounded and serious allegation that we - Martin McGuinness, Martin Ferris and Gerry Adams - are members of the IRA Army Council.
“For Minister McDowell to do this is an abuse of his office. If his view is shared by the Gardaí then the only way this issue can be confronted is for us to be charged with IRA membership.”
Yesterday, Mr Adams said that any republicans involved in criminality should be expelled from the movement. Speaking at an IRA memorial unveiling in Strabane, the Sinn Fein President said "no republican worthy of the name can be involved in criminality of any kind".
Meanwhile, the PSNI have said that the money found in Newforge Country Club in Belfast at the weekend was stolen in the Northern Bank robbery last December.
Five shrink-wrapped packages discovered by police in toilets at the Sports Club on Saturday each contained £10,000 of new Northern Bank notes. Police have confirmed that the notes bear consecutive serial numbers corresponding to numbers notified to the PSNI by the bank.
PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde said he believed Republicans planted the money at Newforge. The discovery apparently followed a call to the Police Ombudsman's office from someone purporting to be a police officer.
In the Republic of Ireland, Gardaí investigating an alleged money laundering operation have seized a further amount of cash estimated to be around £437,000.
The money is to be tested to see if it is linked to the £26 million Northern Bank raid blamed by the police on the IRA.
Almost £3 million has now been seized in the Garda operation since last Wednesday.
(MB/SP)
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