Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:
“This Saturday (December 20th) marks the 10th anniversary of one of the biggest bank robbery in British history when the IRA made off with some £26.5 million from the Donegall Square headquarters of the Northern Bank.
“Those behind the robbery still remain at large and there has been no sign of anyone returning the money – in spite of the fact that the DUP said the return of the IRA’s “ill-gotten gains” was a precondition to their entry to government.
“The anniversary is a reminder of the character of those who some Unionists have elevated to the heart of government. Indeed, one can detect something of the mind-set of IRA in the current talks where their political representatives are refusing to accept that Northern Ireland must live within the confines of the block grant and are demanding additional money from Westminster.
“Recent revelations about the abuse of the expenses system at Stormont – with around £700,000 of public money going to a research company which cannot produce any evidence of research and was headed by two Sinn Fein finance officers – is a telling reminder that the Republican mindset remains unchanged.
“Rather than returning their ill-gotten gains before being permitted to enter government, Stormont has enabled Sinn Fein merely to amass yet more!”