Few tears as Paisley Jnr finally falls on his sword

Politics

But resignation is not end of the matter, vow enemies of the fallen Junior Minister

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

By David Gordon

Ian Paisley Jnr was last night being warned by rival MLAs that his departure from government will not end the controversy that forced him to quit.

The junior Minister announced his decision at Stormont yesterday, hitting out at "unfounded allegations, innuendo and attacks on me personally" .

His resignation followed months of scrutiny over his lobbying for north coast developer Seymour Sweeney on a proposed Giant's Causeway centre development and other schemes. It came after weekend revelations concerning the Ballymena constituency office he and his First Minister father rent through their Stormont allowances.

Mr Sweeney secured the mortgage for the Church Street property last summer and was for a time the sole director of the company that purchased it, Sarcon (No. 250).

Mr Paisley Jnr said at the weekend that Sarcon (No. 250) had been transferred to his father-in-law James Currie last year and Mr Sweeney had received no rental payments during his short time as a director.

Senior DUP figures are understood to have lost patience in recent days with the unending negative publicity. But their hopes for an end to the protracted saga may be dashed.

SDLP MLA Declan O'Loan last night revealed that he has asked the Assembly's Standards Committee for an examination of the constituency office rental arrangements.

"While making no allegation of improper behaviour, I am asking for independent examination of the rent claimed to confirm that it is at a proper level for the property concerned," he said.

Mr Paisley Jnr has maintained that the rent was set according to market value, following advice from a professional agent.

After days of speculation, the Assembly yesterday issued the Belfast Telegraph with official figures for MLA rental claims.

The disclosure, following a freedom of information request, stated that the Paisleys are each receiving £28,600 per year for the Church Street office. This combined total of £57,200 for one property is almost three times higher than the next highest MLA claim.

Mr Paisley Jnr has stated that the money is being used by his father-in-law's company to repay the mortgage.

He has also pointed to the extensive facilities within the premises, including a meeting place for 150 people.

DUP Finance Minister Peter Robinson yesterday paid tribute to Mr Paisley Jnr's contribution in Government.

MLAs for other parties, however, seemed intent on maintaining the pressure.

Sinn Fein MLA Daithi McKay said: "This is certainly not the end of it for Ian Paisley Jnr. There are still a number of questions that he needs to answer in relation to the Giant's Causeway and other developments."

Alliance leader David Ford said: "Ian Paisley Jnr's behaviour has severely damaged the credibility of the Executive.

"However, the questions being asked relate to his behaviour as an MLA. This would suggest he must resign as a MLA too."

In a further twist yesterday, the Department of Enterprise said its Companies Registry wing had received "no record" of Seymour Sweeney resigning as a director of Sarcon (No. 250)

A spokesman for the businessman last night said he had submitted his resignation "some time ago".