Sinn Féin has again declined to confirm that Michelle O’Neill knew the real reason behind the resignation of the party’s former leader in the Seanad.
The party will only say that the Sinn Féin “leadership was made aware” of the background to Niall Ó Donnghaile’s suspension in September last year.
The former Belfast lord mayor was suspended by the party in line with what it terms “our child protection guidelines” after learning that he sent inappropriate text messages to a 17-year-old male.
Sinn Féin has also insisted that the recipient of the texts was not aged 16 at the time, as has been claimed elsewhere.
Mr Ó’Donnghaile did not resign from the Seanad, where he had represented Sinn Féin since 2016, until more three months after his suspension by the party.
He continued to be paid an annual wage of approximately £6,600-a-month pre-tax until January 22 this year, and received an specified termination lump sum, plus six monthly payments at 75% of his previous salary.
In a statement issued by the party last December announcing Mr Ó Donnghaile’s resignation, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald thanked him for his contribution to the Seanad.
She referenced the “health challenges that he has had to deal with over the past number of months” before adding that the former councillor “served diligently” during his time as a senator.
Question about the matter on Wednesday, Ms O’Neill said: “I think Mary Lou has set out very categorically everything we knew and when we knew it in the Dáil statement.
“We were very conscious in terms of legal advice that was sought, in terms of naming the individual.
“I think we can confidently stand over the approach that we took and…from day one we have set out to be as transparent as we can in terms of setting out all the facts.”
Opposition leader Matthew O’Toole said “the failure of the Sinn Fein to be genuinely and fully transparent only prompts more questions”.
“If there were safeguarding concerns surrounding Mr Ó Donnghaile, sufficient to suspend him from the party and end his Seanad career, why did the party help facilitate a planned exit complete with ongoing salary payments and warm words from members of the leadership?” the SDLP MLA said.
“It may be that these actions are explicable, but the clandestine and opaque way Sinn Féin conducts itself on these issues continues to prompt reasonable questions.”
DUP MLA Phillip Brett said Sinn Féin’s account had “shifted that many times”.
“There are basic questions that the leadership collectively need to answer:
“For example when was the first minister aware of the real reason for Niall Ó Donnagaile’s resignation?
“Did the first minister support the issuing of a party statement which mislead the public as to why Niall Ó Donnagaile was standing down and does she believe it was acceptable that he remained in office for months after Sinn Féin became aware of his activities?”
