MEP alleges IRA Army Council controls multi-million pound portfolio of organised crime proceeds
27 September 2007
During an exchange in Question Time in the European Parliament Jim Allister MEP alleged the Army Council of the IRA is controlling and managing a portfolio of several hundred million euros, accumulated from organised crime activities. Mr Allister cited this - which he described as an "obscenity" - as one of the reasons why the Army Council has not been disbanded.
Responding to a statement by the Portuguese President of the Council on EU efforts to combat organised crime, Mr Allister asked:
"I expect the Minister would be appalled by any link between organised crime and any government within the EU. Yet, that is exactly the situation in Northern Ireland where Sinn Fein, a lead party in government, is inextricably linked to the IRA whose illegal Army Council controls a portfolio of several hundred million euros, accumulated from the IRA's organised crime activities. This is one of the reasons why the Army Council has not been disbanded. Will the Council join in condemning this obscenity and press IRA/Sinn Fein to disband its illegal Army Council forthwith?"
Commenting afterwards Mr Allister said,
"One of the lamentable failures of the DUP has been to accept Sinn Fein as a bona fide partner in government while the Army Council of its IRA remains operative. One of its key functions is to control and manage its huge portfolio of ill-gotten gains. How the DUP can be disinterested in this obscene situation is beyond my comprehension.
I have, therefore challenged the EU, since it avows total opposition to organised crime in all its manifestations, to challenge Sinn Fein, as a party of government within the EU, to act to disband the Army Council and end its hoarding of organised crime proceeds. There is no denying that the IRA has grown fat on organised crime for years. Does anyone seriously doubt that its Army Council does not control its multi-million pound portfolio? Hence, one of the reasons why it still exists."
