Connolly 'can sue if he feels defamed'

FRANK CONNOLLY should sue if he feels he was defamed by the Government, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern suggested yesterday.

His comments came amid unconfirmed reports last night that billionaire Chuck Feeney had hired private investigators to look into the allegations against Mr Connolly.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell has admitted trying to have Mr Connolly sacked as executive director of the Centre for Public Inquiry (CPI), an independent group established to investigate political and business corruption.

Mr McDowell had full Cabinet support when he met with Chuck Feeney - the billionaire businessman whose charitable organisation was funding the CPI - in September and briefed him on the allegations about Mr Connolly.

The former journalist is alleged to have travelled to Colombia on a false passport in April 2001 together with his brother Niall - later arrested as one of the Colombia Three - and IRA member Pádraig Wilson as part of an IRA scheme to provide rebels with explosives training.

Mr McDowell gave Mr Feeney and an Irish Independent journalist copies of the bogus application allegedly used by Mr Connolly to obtain a passport.

Mr Feeney's organisation subsequently cut its funding to the CPI. Mr McDowell, meanwhile, also informed the Dáil of the allegations against Mr Connolly, who has repeatedly denied them.

Yesterday, Mr Ahern reiterated his support for Mr McDowell's actions and told the Dáil: "If somebody feels aggrieved at, and maligned by, anything said inside or outside the House, there is a way to vindicate himself or herself through the courts."

He was responding to Sinn Féin criticism of the manner in which Mr McDowell had acted.

He again stressed there was no Government campaign against the CPI.

But there was a campaign against Mr Connolly, Mr McDowell telling the Dáil on Tuesday: "I discussed the matter with my colleagues in Government and undertook to raise the matter with Mr Feeney with a view to persuading him to discontinue his support for Mr Connolly in his role as chief executive of the CPI."

Meanwhile, it was reported yesterday in the Star newspaper that Mr Connolly had a criminal conviction for riotous behaviour dating from 1982.

Mr Connolly could not be reached for comment last night.