The Ulster Unionist Party Leader Steve Aiken OBE MLA has described the PPS decision not to prosecute anyone following the funeral of Bobby Storey, as regrettable, but not unexpected, with potentially serious repercussions for public confidence.
Steve Aiken said:
“The decision of the PPS not to recommend any prosecutions following the funeral of Bobby Storey last June is regrettable, but not unexpected. That in the height of the COVID pandemic Sinn Fein saw fit to very publicly and visibly flout the rules and guidelines that applied to everyone else in Northern Ireland, should be of concern to us all.
“Public confidence is key in any democracy. If lawmakers like Sinn Fein, are able to very publicly flout the rules and regulations that the entire community was being urged to abide by, then we are in a very bad place indeed. Sinn Fein have clearly been allowed to get away with something that no other organisation or citizen would have been allowed to do and that has very serious implications. Rules and the law must apply equally to everyone, or else they might as well not exist.
“That there is now a very distinct perception that there is two tier policing in Northern Ireland is a matter that must be addressed. While we realise that the rank and file of the PSNI have been put in a near impossible position, there are very serious questions that must be asked of the leadership of the PSNI. Confidence in policing and the PPS has been severely dented, but this should not, in any way, detract from the actions of the leadership of Sinn Fein.”