BBC, 09 December 2005
'Spy' trio held 'to save Trimble'
"I am sure that in the fullness of time, when all the dust settles down, that
Denis Donaldson will walk free. I am also very, very certain that when the
spin and the political theatre is finished, this process is going to have to
be put together again, and we as a party are going to be needed to do that."
(Gerry Adams, October 2002, after the arrest of Denis Donaldson)
A man cleared of charges linked to an alleged IRA spy ring at Stormont has
said he was arrested in a campaign to save David Trimble's political career.
Sinn Fein's Denis Donaldson, son-in-law Ciaran Kearney along with William
Mackessy had a total of seven charges against them dropped on Thursday.
Mr Donaldson said his charges were dropped due to the prosecution's "self
interest". He may now sue the police.
He said there was no spy ring and the charges were "politically-inspired".
"There was no spy ring at Stormont. There never was," he said.
"The fact that the media was here on the morning that our offices (at
Stormont) was raided testifies to that.
"It was part of a Save Dave (Trimble) campaign initially and it was also
designed to bring down the (power-sharing) institutions, which it did."
Mr Donaldson was speaking as he and the other two men returned to Stormont
in the company of leading Sinn Fein officials, including party leader Gerry
Adams.
The three were arrested following a police raid on Sinn Fein's offices at
Parliament Buildings on 4 October 2002, when documents and computer discs
were seized.
The arrests led to the power-sharing executive at Stormont being suspended,
after the DUP and Ulster Unionists, led at that time by Mr Trimble,
threatened to collapse the executive with resignations.
Mr Donaldson, who was Sinn Fein's head of administration at Stormont, and Mr
Kearney were subsequently accused of having documents likely to be of use to
terrorists.
Mr Mackessy was charged with collecting information on the security forces.
However, at an unlisted hearing at Belfast Crown Court, the three were told
all charges were being dropped after the prosecution offered no evidence "in
the public interest".
Mr Donaldson said they were now consulting legal representatives about what
course of action they could follow in connnection with the arrests.
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said the collapse of the case once again
underlined the need to "face up" to elements within the PSNI who, he
claimed, were opposed to political progress.
He said: "The raid on this building, the raid on the Sinn Fein offices, was
conducted in a glare of publicity.
'No comment'
"I think that has very clearly become a pattern, a pattern of political
policing.
"Our certain view, and we said this at the time, is that there are elements
within the Special Branch, within the old RUC, some of whom are active today
in the PSNI, who continue to be at war with Irish republicans, who are
opposed to the peace process."
The Public Prosecution Service said it would be making no further statement
in relation to the decision to drop the charges.
A spokesman would not respond to allegations that the service had bowed to
political pressure.
He would not clarify what it regarded as the nature of the public interest
which led to the charges being dropped.
