Hunger striker ‘would stop’ if call to clear name heeded

HUNGER striker, Kathryn Nelson, has indicated for the first time that she would be willing to suspend her protest if given guarantees that her complaints against the State would receive attention even after she resumed eating.

Ms Nelson, 57, who is in her sixth week of refusing food, said last night that messages of support she received this week had encouraged her to consider calling off her action. She said she would also be willing to accept an interim payment of several thousand pounds from the State to pay her immediate bills while she pursues a much larger compensation claim.

The Co Kildare-born woman, who worked as a diplomatic liaison officer for private investors in Bulgaria, wants her name cleared of involvement in laundering money from the £26.5 million Northern Bank raid in 2004. She says her reputation was ruined and she was left destitute after she was publicly identified as having been arrested on suspicion of money laundering following comments by Justice Minister Michael McDowell that the IRA had tried to hide money from the robbery in Bulgaria.

Now living in the Isle of Man, she began her hunger strike on January 25 in a bid to extract a public statement by the gardaí or Mr McDowell that she is no longer a suspect in the investigations, which gardaí confirm privately but not publicly.

Speaking from her rented apartment last night, she said she was heartened by assurances of support, including a commitment by Labour TD, Joe Costello, to pursue her case. Mr Costello said her requests for a statement clearing her name and an interim payment from the State were both within the powers of Mr McDowell.

“It’s a reasonable request. One’s good name and one’s career are terribly important and if the negative publicity around her has had that adverse effect on her and if there is no file on her going to the Director of Public Prosecutions, then the Minister for Justice should do the honourable thing.

“It cannot be beyond his competence to contact the gardaí, for which he has overall responsibility, and while not interfering with the management of the case, seek a statement clarifying the status of it.”

The Department of Justice said it could not comment last night but Mr Costello rejected this, arguing Mr McDowell had made public statements about the case of Dean Lyons, who was wrongly charged with a double murder.