Brian Stanley has welcomed Sinn Féin’s decision to refer the inquiry into a complaint about him to the Gardaí.
In a statement issued by his solicitors, Vincent P Garty from Mountmellick, he says he stands by his original comments announcing his resignation from the party on Saturday night.
He has also questioned Mary Lou McDonald’s timeline of events as well and says that the issue prevented him from contesting the General Election as a Sinn Féin candidate.
“I welcome the fact that Sinn Féin has belatedly referred the ‘complaint’ and matters concerning it to the Gardaí.
“This has been advocated by me for some time, including to a senior Sinn Féin official. The party should have referred it to the Gardai once both myself and my legal representative brought certain serious matters to the attention of the ‘panel’ on September 11. Mary Lou McDonald has stated correctly that the complaint made against me is not of a criminal nature.
“Statements by the party leadership now asserting that my rights were protected throughout this process are totally incorrect.
“This complaint, which I refute, was lodged with the party on the very first day (26 July), that the 10-day nomination process opened for members such as myself to be put forward to contest the general election.
“In my case this had the effect of preventing me of having any hope of contesting it as a Sinn Féin candidate for Laois.
“It was received by Sinn Fein on the 26 July and I obtained written proof of this from them. Mary Lou McDonald has given wrong information by stating that it was only received on the 2 August.
“As a matter of fact, I made her aware in person on July 29 of it and that certain information regarding it had been circulated by party members.
“The information had been deliberately kept from me that there was a complaint or the nature of it. An ‘omerta’ was in place.
“One middle ranking party member instructed other members that I was not to be informed of its existence. In actual fact I had to get my solicitor, six days later, to write to the party (31 July) to ascertain what was the nature of this complaint!
“In the intervening period – ie from July 26 – the process of character assassination was well underway by a certain party clique and has continued unabated since then.
“These facts and others mean that there has been a significant abuse of process and when it was brought to the attention of the Sinn Fein ‘panel’ it was simply brushed aside.
“I stand over what I stated two days ago regarding what the party refer to as an inquiry.”
SEE ALSO – Laois Sinn Féin to meet this week as Stanley fallout continues
