The Sinn Féin administration official accused of IRA spying was yesterday refused bail.
A judge at the Northern Ireland High Court ruled there were substantial grounds to believe Mr Denis Donaldson (52) could commit offences if he was released from custody
Mr Donaldson was arrested during a police raid on his west Belfast home last month, when more than 1,200 documents were recovered. Allegations that he was a key member of the Provisional IRA's intelligence unit were strenuously denied in court.
Lord Justice Nicholson said: "An applicant for bail in circumstances such as these must be wholeheartedly committed to the peace process.
"If he collects information or stores information which can only be useful for military purposes, he enables others to call off a ceasefire." Mr Donaldson was accused of five charges of possessing documents which could be useful to terrorists.
A senior detective had told the court that police believed the father-of-three had been in the IRA since its formation 30 years ago and had formed close links with world-wide terror organisations. It was feared that if granted bail, Mr Donaldson could use his contacts to flee Northern Ireland or could continue spying for the IRA.
But a defence lawyer insisted the Sinn Féin man vehemently denied the IRA membership allegations. He insisted no fingerprints belonging to Mr Donaldson had been found yet on any of the documents seized from his home, and claimed there was little hope of the Crown securing a conviction.
But even though Lord Justice Nicholson recognised Mr Donaldson had worked to secure the peace process, he said he could not grant bail. The judge accepted there was a prima facie case against him on all five charges.
Lord Justice Nicholson said evidence against Mr Donaldson was based on intelligence sources who could not be cross-examined at this stage. "I recognise that the evidence points to the fact that no breakdown of the ceasefire is imminent. But those who have collected such information are liable to go on collecting it." - (PA)