Philip Smith MLA, Ulster Unionist Finance spokesperson, has called for the Finance Minister, Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, to stand aside until investigations into allegations of Sinn Fein members coaching a witness at a Stormont inquiry are completed.
Philip Smith said:
“Máirtín Ó Muilleoir should stand aside as Finance Minister until the truth is known about the full extent of allegations that members of Sinn Fein coached a witness at a Stormont inquiry. As the hours have passed since the bombshell revelations were plastered across media outlets on Thursday, allegations have continued and the Finance Minister has been named in the correspondence between Jamie Bryson and members of Sinn Fein.
“The credibility of our political institutions has taken another hit in the eyes of the public and they now need – indeed demand - to hear the truth. We need to rebuild public confidence in devolution and our political institutions. We need to know who was involved; to what extent; and what they knew and when they knew it, no matter how inconvenient the truth may be.
“That means that any investigations should be carried out swiftly and transparently and – given the fact that he has been named - that can best be assisted by Máirtín Ó Muilleoir standing aside until an investigation is complete.”