Adams says councillors will root out corruption

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has pledged that his councillors will root out corruption if elected and also claimed that a newspaper group is running a campaign against him and his party.

Launching his party’s local election campaign, Mr Adams also said that allegations he was briefed by police in the North ahead of his brother’s trial were false.

Party candidates yesterday highlighted the upcoming water charges and housing issues and said they would fight for every vote up until polling day on Friday week.

Mr Adams said his councillors would pursue any evidence of corruption in city and county councils and that elected officials would defend whistleblowers.

The party supports the idea of directly elected mayors, has promised to abolish the property tax, as well as reduce local rates for businesses in communities.

South Dublin County councillor Cathal King outlined how he and other elected officials had pooled parts of their income to fund the provision of 16 beds in a Dublin homeless shelter.

Mr Adams said that party councillors would put an end to planning corruption.

“Our pledge is that Sinn Féin councillors, right across this state, will exercise vigilance and will rigorously pursue evidence of corruption, whether by council members or officials.

Mr Adams rubbished allegations in the Irish Independent this week that the PSNI had tipped the party leader off about the sexual abuse case against his brother, Liam Adams. Liam Adams was later found guilty of raping and sexually abusing his daughter.

Responding to a recent report that police allegedly tipped him off, Mr Adams said the claims were “totally unfounded”.

“It’s inaccurate, it’s misleading and its typical of the scurrilous approach that we get from that group of newspapers when they’re dealing with me or Sinn Féin. The assertion that I was tipped off or briefed about the case before the trial is untrue.”

Mr Adams said his solicitor was taking “appropriate action” about the articles.

He said the newspaper for years had run “malicious” claims about Sinn Féin.

“This recent journalism is just political journalism electorally orientated to hurt Sinn Féin and we’re not going to let that happen.”

The party is running 196 local election candidates in the south and north. It won 54 seats in 2009.

The Irish Independent was contacted last night, but did not issue a comment.