Funding of parties 'may face tighter controls'

The Government may consider tighter controls on the public funding of political parties after last week’s police crackdown on an IRA-linked cash laundering racket, it emerged tonight.

A Sinn Féin ex-councillor was arrested and quizzed by gardaí after nationwide raids netted sterling notes worth more than £3.5m (€5m) – possibly linked to December’s Northern Bank Robbery.