Anger over bank raid searches

A family at the centre of new searches for the missing Northern Bank millions have protested their innocence.

As a report today backed Dublin and London claims of IRA involvement in the £26.5m (€38m) raid, divers used sensor equipment as part of their examination of a pond at homes just outside the village of Beragh, near Omagh, Co Tyrone.

Ground belonging to brothers Liam and Damien Donnelly at Roscavey was also dug up.

No money has been found and no arrests made.

But Damien’s son Michael hit out at the police action. He claimed: “They have damaged my character and my family’s character in every way and the whole thing is just total nonsense.”

An adjoining scrapyard was also searched as part of the police operation.

Neighbours of the Donnelly family insisted they had no republican connections.

A number of houses in west Belfast were searched in the aftermath of the massive city centre robbery just before Christmas.

Details of a report by the Independent Monitoring Commission which was set up by the Irish and British governments to monitor the IRA and loyalist paramilitary ceasefires were due to be published later today accusing the Provisionals of carrying out the raid.

Some form of sanctions imposed against Sinn Féin are expected to be recommended, even though the IRA leadership has categorically denied involvement in or previous knowledge of the raid.

Damien Donnelly said he was furious with the behaviour of the police.

He told the new Daily Ireland newspaper: “We didn’t expect anything like this and I feel very disappointed about what happened.

“I’m very angry that we’ve been targeted. To relate my business to the bank robbery is utterly wrong. The PSNI appears to have a number of teams designated for specific searches, but there were no arrests. There wasn’t even any talks of arrests.”

Earlier the Democratic Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson warned the Government it would face tough questions if it failed to act on the IMC recommendations.

The Lagan Valley representative called for republicans to be hit in the pocket, as well as ejecting Sinn Féin from any new devolved cabinet.

He said: “It’s an absolute travesty that Sinn Féin have collected almost £1m in allowances from the House of Commons for four MPs who don’t take their seats. The Government’s credibility is on the line.

"The Prime Minister will know tough talk isn’t enough. Unless you back up your verbal commitments with actions then Sinn Féin will literally be laughing all the way to the bank.”

Even though the North's power-sharing regime government has been suspended for more than two years, the four-member commission is believed to have suggested banning Sinn Féin from any executive cabinet for six months.

Secretary of State Paul Murphy must now decide whether to invoke the punishment should devolution be restored at Stormont, although any revival looks impossible before the British general election.