Conflicting statements from Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald and former party TD Brian Stanley have created “another layer of confusion and lack of clarity”, the Taoiseach has said.
It comes after Mr Stanley accused members of Sinn Fein of orchestrating a “character assassination” against him as he said matters involving complaints should have been referred to gardai “some time” ago.
A complaint was made against Mr Stanley at the end of July or early August by a long-standing member of the party.
A panel made up of two other senior party members and a barrister, who is also a Sinn Fein member, was set up under the party’s internal disciplinary processes to investigate the complaint, Ms McDonald said.
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald refused to comment on the specifics of the complaint against former party TD Brian Stanley (Niall Carson/PA)
It made preliminary filings at the start of this month and invited statements or corrections before the final document was prepared.
Mr Stanley, who has been a TD for Laois-Offaly since 2011 and chairman of the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee, announced his resignation from Sinn Fein on Saturday, likening the internal disciplinary process to a kangaroo court.
Sinn Fein then referred the initial complaint, and a “serious” counter-allegation that arose during the procedure, to gardai on Sunday.
On Monday, Ms McDonald and Mr Stanley both said the original complaint was not of a criminal nature.
She said: “Had the initial complaint been of a criminal nature, it would have gone straight to An Garda Siochana.”
Asked why the matter had since been referred to gardai, Ms McDonald said: “I want to be clear here: I am not in a position to say whether or not the complaint or the counter-allegation meet the standard for criminal investigation. That’s not my job.
“But I am far happier that the complaint and the counter-allegation are now in the hands of the gardai and they can do what they deem to be appropriate.”
Also on Monday, Mr Stanley welcomed the referral of the investigation to gardai, saying: “This has been advocated by me for some time.”
He added that he believed the matter should have been referred to gardai after he and his legal representative brought “certain serious matters” to the attention of the investigatory panel on September 11.
Mr Stanley said his rights were not protected during the process and that the timing of the complaint prevented him of “having any hope” of contesting the next general election as a Sinn Fein candidate for Laois.
He said: “The information had been deliberately kept from me that there was a complaint or the nature of it. An ‘omerto’ (sic) was in place.
“One middle-ranking party member instructed other members that I was not to be informed of its existence.”
Mr Stanley, who rejects the initial complaint, also presented an alternative timeline of events than the party leader.
Ms McDonald said the complaint was made by statement to the party on August 2 and that she had been made aware of the existence of the complaint around the same time.
However, Mr Stanley disputes this and said the original complaint was made on July 26 – adding that he told Ms McDonald of its existence on July 29.
He said he had to get his solicitor to write to the party on July 31 to learn about the nature of the complaint.
He added: “In the intervening period from July 26, the process of character assassination was well under way by a certain party clique and has continued unabated since then.
“These facts and others mean that there has been a significant abuse of process and when it was brought to the attention of the Sinn Fein panel, it was simply brushed aside.”
Speaking on RTE radio Monday, Ms McDonald said she had not become aware of the specifics of the complaint until after Mr Stanley resigned, claiming the whole investigatory process had been at “arm’s length to the party”.
She said: “The referral to An Garda Siochana was made in an abundance of caution, because I was not happy, nor would I be happy, with the party left with a serious complaint and a serious counter-allegation.”
She added: “A process has been cut short by Deputy Stanley walking away and I want matters concluded.”
Speaking to reporters on Monday evening, Simon Harris said: “Objectively, today has resulted in more questions than answers.”
He added: “My position on this from from the start has been very clear, it’s not about engaging in kind of political back-and-forth, it’s about the need for the leader of Sinn Fein to honestly put all of the information out there.”