The British Government came under fresh pressure today to give Sinn Fein a heavy financial penalty when Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy announces what sanctions will be imposed for the IRA's audacious Northern Bank robbery.
Mr Murphy is being pressed to cut off parliamentary allowances to Mr Gerry Adams, Mr Martin McGuinness and the other two Sinn Fein MPs.
He will make a statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday on how he will respond to the Independent Monitoring Commission report which pinned blame for the pre-Christmas £26.5m bank robbery on the IRA and said Sinn Fein leaders knew about and sanctioned the robbery.
If he cut parliamentary allowances it could cost Sinn Fein some £500,000.
Anger at the provisionals heightened following the discovery of £50,000 from the robbery in the Belfast sports club run for serving and retired police officers and their families.
Examination of the money proved last night that it had come from the bank robbery.
Mr Ian Paisley Jnr, a member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board and Democratic Unionist Assembly member, said the find of money in the club indicated "just how hard the republican movement has been stung by events" of recent days.
It was an "act of desperation" by the IRA to deflect attention away from their activities.
Party colleague, Mr Jeffrey Donaldson MP, said Mr Murphy must hit Sinn Fein hard this week.
"Paul Murphy's announcement on Tuesday will be keenly awaited by all democrats.
"The sanctions he decides on will determine in the minds of fair minded people whether the Government is determined to punish Sinn Fein, or just give Adams and McGuinness a slap across the wrists," he said.
PA