Doug Beattie MC MLA has said that groups in receipt of public or charitable money must be open, transparent and accountable. He made the statement following a report in a Sunday Newspaper that revealed that an employee - Mr Fernando Murphy - of Conflict Resolution Services Ireland(CRSI) - has been convicted of harassing his ex-partner.
Doug Beattie MC MLA said:
“The article in the Sunday Life raises a number of serious issues. Firstly, the story alleges that CRSI is linked to Oglaigh na hEireann (ONH); therefore, I have written to the PSNI to ask them to carry out an assessment of this claim. I believe it is firmly in the public interest to have clarification provided in the same manner as was provided for CharterNI.
“The report also outlines Mr Murphy’s recent and previous convictions and given that the organisation he works for is cited as dealing with vulnerable people, it is vital to ensure that the rigorous checks have been completed.
“With this in mind I have also asked the Board of Trustees for clarification on whether Mr Murphy has been subject to an AccessNI check and have written to the Joseph Rowntree Trust, International Fund for Ireland and the Community Relations Council regarding the mechanisms and checks they have in place for the awarding of public money.
“Any organisation benefitting from public or charitable money must be open, transparent and accountable. I will be pursuing this matter as far as necessary to ensure this is the case.”