DUP MP Sammy Wilson is being investigated by the authorities at Westminster over an alleged breach of lobbying rules regarding Northern Cyprus, it has been reported.
Last month we revealed how the East Antrim DUP MP was one of five politicians named in an online article posted on the Democracy For Sale website by journalist and author Peter Geoghegan.
The same website has now revealed the former Stormont Finance Minister is the subject of an inquiry from Westminster’s standards watchdog.
As reported here it was alleged that Mr Wilson had failed to declare an interest when asking parliamentary questions after taking an all-expenses paid trip to the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TNRC).
The Democracy for Sale investigation led to former SNP leader Ian Blackford saying the revelations have left a number of “red lights flashing” and called for a full parliamentary investigation.
“There are so many red lights flashing here,” said Blackford, who formally wrote to parliament’s standards commissioner calling for an investigation.
“Let’s not forget that these are parliamentarians going to a territory that lacks legitimacy, that is subject to UN resolutions,” said Mr Blackford last month.
Parliamentarians are also not allowed to “initiate parliamentary proceedings” that could have “any financial or material benefit” for a foreign government, non-governmental organisation or other agency “which has, within the previous 12 months, funded a visit they have undertaken or provided them with hospitality.”
Sammy Wilson on political situation in Cyprus
According to Democracy For Sale a host of sponsors paid for the trips, including the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce and Turkish Airlines .
The trips were organised by Freedom and Fairness for Northern Cyprus, a campaign group that has been working with a London-based PR firm run by the son of a Conservative peer.
Freedom and Fairness for Northern Cyprus aims “to show the need for the TRNC to be recognised as a sovereign, independent, democratic nation state.”
“If Freedom and Fairness was hoping to put its cause on the political agenda, it appears to have succeeded judging by the barrage of parliamentary questions put down by MPs and Lords, particularly after paid trips to the region,” wrote Peter Geoghegan.
According to him Parliamentary records show that, in the entire decade leading up to 2023, only 15 questions asked by MPs contained the phrase “northern Cyprus.”
In contrast, MPs submitted 26 questions on the topic since the start of last year.
Eight of those questions were posed by Sammy Wilson, who asked about everything from Greek troop numbers in southern Cyprus to maritime shipping routes to northern Cyprus.
The journalist also found that Wilson also penned opinion pieces arguing that the U.K. should support independence for northern Cyprus.
Records show that Wilson did declare his trip to northern Cyprus in January on his register of interests, but failed to declare an interest in the subject before querying the government in parliament.
More than a dozen parliamentarians went on ‘fact finding delegations’ organised by Freedom and Fairness for Northern Cyprus.
The standards commissioner has sanctioned MPs in the past for breaking parliamentary lobbying rules after going on paid trips.
In 2018, the DUP’s Ian Paisley Junior was suspended from the Commons for 30 days after lobbying on behalf of Sri Lanka after taking an undeclared trip to the country worth up to £100,000.
Mr Wilson has been contacted for comment.