Orde shows political bias: McGuinness

NORTHERN Ireland Chief Constable Hugh Orde has not produced one scrap of evidence that the IRA was behind the £26.5 million Northern Bank raid in Belfast, Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness claimed yesterday.

With the Government coming under pressure to take sanctions against Sinn Féin following Mr Orde’s comments, the party’s chief negotiator accused the police chief of showing political bias. He also claimed there was an attempt to undermine the peace process.

“We are witnessing a renewed attempt to undermine the peace process. We need to think long and hard about who is setting this agenda and why,” the Mid Ulster MP said.

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble has called on Mr Blair to exclude Sinn Féin from the Assembly, but his party’s MP David Burnside went further, calling for the interrogation of Sinn Féin leaders.

“If investigating detectives do not bring in every member of the IRA Army Council including the Sinn Féin leadership for interrogation, then the PSNI will not be carrying out its investigating role as a professional police service,” the South Antrim MP said.

“Sinn Féin will not countenance any attempt by the DUP, or by the governments or by anyone else, to demonise this party,” Mr McGuinness said.