Commenting on Gerry Adams’s latest comments in the wake of Slab Murphy’s conviction for tax evasion Jim Allister said:
“The fall out from Murphy’s conviction has proved that the much lauded “fresh start” was nothing of the sort.
“Adams’s comments today in which he said: “I don’t believe that people who were involved in the IRA, if he was involved in the IRA, are criminal” will outrage the many victims of the IRA terrorism and exposes the supposed commitment to tackle paramilitarism on the part of Sinn Fein/IRA as nonsense.
“Clearly Sinn Fein still believe that their controlling body, the IRA Army Council, is above the law. They are incapable of crime even when they have been tried and convicted in a court of law – a nicety which Republicans didn’t of course bother with when it came to their many innocent victims.
“Commenting after announcing his retirement Peter Robinson said:
“Getting this Agreement which incorporates bringing paramilitarism to an end, getting all parties to sign up to ending paramilitary structures and putting paramilitarism out of business is a major achievement”.
“We haven’t even got to the end of the year and we have undeniable proof that the deal achieved nothing of the sort.
“These comments raise a major challenge that for the DUP who sustain Sinn Fein/IRA in the executive. If Sinn Fein cannot even admit the criminality of the IRA what are they doing in government with them?”