IRA suspect 'hands over SF meeting minutes'

A Dublin man accused of IRA membership gave the minutes of a Sinn Féin cumann meeting to a Special Branch detective who was searching him, the Special Criminal Court heard today.

Detective Sergeant Ciarán Daly told the court that Niall Binead removed a piece of paper from the rear pocket of his jeans and handed it to Detective Sergeant Joe Devine, who was in charge of the search at his home in December, 2002.

Det Sgt Daly said that the paper contained the minutes of a meeting of the Logue/Marley Sinn Féin cumann, which had taken place the previous evening.

It was the sixth day of the trial of Niall Binead, also known as Niall Bennett (aged 35) of Faughart Road, Crumlin, Dublin, and Kenneth Donohoe (aged 26) of Sundale Avenue, Mountain View, Tallaght, Dublin, who have pleaded not guilty to membership of an illegal organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Óglaigh na hÉireann, otherwise the IRA on October 10, 2002.

Cross-examined by Binead’s counsel Mr Peter Finlay SC, Det Sgt Daly agreed that the minutes of the cumann meeting were written on the back of headed Sinn Féin paper and he agreed that it contained a number of names of people who are Sinn Féin members.

He also agreed that Sinn Féin is a legal political party.

He also agreed that Sinn Féin has a number of Dáil deputies but made no reply when it was put to him by Mr Finlay: "And we are even told that they may be in Government one day?"

The court has been told that during the search of Binead’s home at Crumlin in December 2002, gardaí found a piece of paper with the names of three former Justice Ministers and other TDs in a satchel in a bedroom.

The head of the Garda Special Branch, Detective Chief Superintendent Philip Kelly, has told the court he believed Binead and Donohoe were IRA members in October 2002.

The trial is continuing.