Sinn Fein 'morally unclean' an funded by IRA says McDowell

JUSTICE MINISTER Michael McDowell launched a controversial attack on Sinn Féin last night, accusing the IRA of engaging in crime to fund the party's political rise.

In comments likely to have significant implications for the formation of a new Stormont administration, the minister claimed Sinn Féin's political purse was directly funded by IRA criminal activities.

He said Sinn Féin was morally unclean.

His comments will be seized upon by the Democratic Unionist Party, which recently criticised the "hypocrisy'' of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in refusing to allow Sinn Féin into government, while insisting Northern politicians work with them in Stormont.

Since the accusation, Mr Ahern has attempted to distance himself from comments he made at the last general election when he ruled out a coalition with Sinn Féin. Mr McDowell's comments, however, made on last night's Last Word programme on Today FM- will inflame the situation again.

He claimed "there is a close connection between Sinn Féin and the IRA and I have no doubt that senior figures in the IRA are engaging in crime to fund the republican movement.

"I don't believe there are strict Chinese walls between Sinn Féin money and IRA money.

"I strongly reject the implicit suggestion that their party is morally clean," he said. When asked if this meant that Sinn Féin's electoral campaigns were funded by money coming from criminal activities by IRA members, he said he believed they were.

Last Word presenter Matt Cooper also asked him if he meant that a growing force in politics was being funded by the proceeds of crime.

"That's exactly the point I'm making. The body politic is at the moment cleansing itself through new laws enacted, through the tribunal process. It ill behoves Sinn Féin to point the finger at anybody when they have close connections to the IRA and organised crime in Ireland," he said.

Mr McDowell alleged that members of the IRA had turned to what he termed "ordinary crime" since their release under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

"I believe that the ceasefire holds, but a number of former activists have taken to crime. One of the things I find most difficult to take is the Sinn Féin party talking about corruption in political life and pointing the finger at others, when they have people very much closer to home whom they hope the media and people like me will stay quiet about. I certainly won't." Sinn Féin MLA Conor Murphy angrily rejected McDowell's claims and asked him to present evidence to prove his allegations.

He said it was an abuse of Mr McDowell's position as Minister for Justice to make such allegations and said it was part of a tactical campaign to undermine Sinn Féin in advance of next year's local elections in the Republic.