Ahern was ‘convinced’ Adams knew of bank raid

SINN FÉIN have been forced to deny their two most senior officials knew of the 2004 Northern Bank heist before it happened after leaked diplomatic documents said the Irish Government was “certain” of their involvement.

New revelations detailed in US diplomatic cables obtained by the WikiLeaks organisation show former taoiseach Bertie Ahern was convinced they knew of the major stg£26.5 million Belfast robbery — one of the largest in Ireland’s history — before it occurred.

The documents state Mr Ahern was “certain” they were aware of the plan “in advance of the robbery” as they were “IRA military command” members.

Sinn Féin has always denied involvement in the incident, which occurred in December 2004 and is one of the biggest robberies in Irish history. However, in a US diplomatic cable dated February 4, 2005 — two months after the money was stolen — then US ambassador to Dublin James Kenny said he was told there was “rock solid evidence” of the two senior republicans’ knowledge of the bank heist plan.

In a second cable, dated June 1, 2005, Mr Kenny said Mr Ahern had raised this belief with Mitchell Reiss, then US envoy to Ireland.

“The Government of Ireland has rock solid evidence that Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness are members of the IRA military command and for that reason the Taoiseach is certain they would have known in advance of the robbery,” the first cable read.

The second added: “The Taoiseach... believes Sinn Féin leaders were aware of plans to rob the Northern Bank even as they negotiated with him” during the 2004 peace process talks.

In a statement, a Sinn Féin spokesperson denied the claims.

“There is not a shred of evidence that has ever linked the IRA to the Northern Bank robbery. The theories put forward by the British at the time regarding republican involvement were disproved in court.

“No link has ever been made, other than by opponents of Sinn Féin, that the IRA was involved. All the republicans arrested in connection with the Northern Bank robbery were released without charge.”

The leaked US diplomatic cables also touch on other controversies connected to the political agenda. They include the belief by then Justice Minister and former Tánaiste Michael McDowell — and repeated by high-ranking US diplomats — that British intelligence had a second, more senior mole than Denis Donaldson. Mr Donaldson, a British informant who was working for Sinn Féin, was murdered in 2006 after his real identity was revealed.

However, in a US cable on May 31 that year, a diplomat wrote: “McDowell believed the outing of Donaldson as an informant was a clear message from the British government that it had another, more valuable, source of information within the republican leadership.”

The official added it was not believed Sinn Féin had any involvement in Mr Donaldson’s murder.

The US cables also note Sinn Féin used the Celtic Tiger era to move from racketeering to “more sophisticated business enterprises” by buying properties in London, Dublin and Spanish resorts.

They also state the Irish Government felt Tony Blair had “gone too soft on Sinn Féin”.