Special Branch Managed To Collapse Political Institutions
Sinn Féin Chief Negotiator Martin McGuinness said that PSNI Special Branch
operation
alleging a spy ring in Stormont exposed as a sham in a Belfast
court
this morning damaged the lives of ordinary people through the collapse
of
the political institutions.
Mr McGuinness said:
"
There never was a Sinn Féin spy ring operating from Stormont. This was a
carefully
constructed lie created by the Special Branch in order to cause
maximum
political impact. Its effect politically has been to collapse the
institutions
and personally it has damaged the lives of the four people
originally
charged and their families. This operation is as blatant an
example of
political policing as you are likely to find.
" Sinn Féin said
very clearly at the time that eventually this case would
fall apart.
There was no evidence to sustain it. However that was not the
motivation
of those responsible for carrying out this operation. Their
motivation
was to collapse the political institutions and stall further
progress
on policing change including of course the transfer of power to
locally
elected and accountable politicians.
" The effect of this
operation was to stop the work of the Executive in its
tracks. At the
time as Minister of Education I was involved in important
work
including the autism centre planned for Middletown and the review of
post
primary education.
" At a policing level very serious questions
now need to be addressed by the
British government and the PSNI. At a
political level those who eagerly used
this operation to walk away from
the political institutions need to reflect
long and hard on their
position." ENDS