Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has accused the director of the Centre for Public Inquiry, journalist Frank Connolly, of being connected to a plot by the IRA to provide Farc guerrillas with information on the use of explosives in return for cash, writes Liam Reid, Political Reporter.
In a written Dáil reply last night, Mr McDowell claimed that Mr Connolly travelled to the Farc-controlled region of Colombia on a false passport in April 2001, along with his brother, Niall, and a convicted IRA member, Pádraig Wilson.
However, last night Mr Connolly rejected the allegations and accused the Minister of abusing his privilege and being part of a "witch hunt" aimed at destroying the Centre for Public Inquiry.
The centre, chaired by retired judge and tribunal chairman Feargus Flood, was established with €4 million funding by Irish-American philanthropist Chuck Feeney to conduct investigations into matters of public importance in Irish political and corporate life.
In his reply to Finian McGrath TD, Mr McDowell said he had been informed by gardaí that prior to the arrest of the so-called Colombia Three in August 2001, authorities had established that three Irish people also entered Farc-controlled territory on false passports, and one of those was Frank Connolly.
"On the basis of intelligence reports furnished to me, the [ April and August] visits appear to have been connected with an arrangement whereby the Provisional IRA furnished knowhow in the use of explosives. The consideration received by the Provisional IRA under the arrangement is believed to be the payment of a large amount of money by Farc which finances its activities by its control of the cocaine trade in the area of Colombia which it controls."