Questions for Sinn Fein over corona funds

SINN Fein is facing questions around an apparent delay in repaying Covid relief cash meant for struggling businesses.

It has emerged that £10,000 grants were paid into three Sinn Fein party accounts in March.

MP and MLA constituency offices are ineligible for the Small Business Grant Scheme.

However, under the scheme a £10,000 payment was automatically sent to any firm in receipt of Small Business Rate Relief.

Sinn Fein said the money has been paid back.

The Department for the Economy confirmed that two payments were made in error to an elected representative and to a former elected representative, and a third to the office of a political party.

A spokesman said all grants have been repaid.

A Sinn Fein spokesman said: “Three Sinn Fein offices received automatic and unsolicited payments of £10,000 under the Small Business Grant Scheme.

“Sinn Fein offices did not qualify and did not apply for the scheme and the monies have been returned to the LPS (Land & Property Services).”

The payments were reported on BBC Radio Ulster’s Stephen Nolan Show yesterday, which said West Tyrone MLA Maoliosa Mchugh’s office was one of the three accounts which received the payment.

Mr Mchugh told the programme he had contacted party officials to make arrangements to pay the money back “quite a while ago”, adding he received confirmation earlier this week that it had been repaid.

DUP MP Gregory Campbell has asked the Commissioner for Standards to investigate.

He said: “We are still in the dark as to exactly when Sinn Fein representatives found out about the error. The public are rightly questioning whether the cash would have been returned at all had the media spotlight not been shone in their direction.”

We are still in the dark as to when Sinn Fein found out GREGORY CAMPBELL

YESTERDAY

PAYMENT Maoliosa Mchugh