Sinn Féin’s secrecy on criminal and torturer Jonathan Dowdall – Carroll MacNeill

Serious questions remain about what Sinn Féin and Deputy Mary Lou McDonald knew about criminal and torturer Jonathan Dowdall after he donated €1,000 to her and became a city councillor for the party, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said it has only taken the Sinn Féin leader almost six weeks to finally answer initial questions regarding her former constituency colleague since he pleaded guilty to his role to the most high profile gangland attack in this country on September 28^th last.

“Deputy McDonald said she was “profoundly shocked” to hear of the criminality of her former colleague Dowdall today.

“She was more than happy to take a €1,000 donation from him in 2011.

“Several media reports regarding Dowdall and his court proceedings place him alongside criminal elements in Dublin’s North inner city since he was a teenager. He took loans from them for his businesses, to meet payroll costs,” she said.

“When Dowdall was elected a city councillor in 2014, Deputy McDonald was a leading Sinn Fein TD and at the epicentre of Dublin Central constituency for the party.

“So, in my opinion, either she and Sinn Féin didn’t have the local political network to be given the heads up on Dowdall – or they did, and didn’t care. “Is she fully up to date on all her other Sinn Fein party colleagues?

“Could we please know how Dowdall’s €1,000 donation to Deputy McDonald in 2011 and published on Deputy McDonald’s SIPO filings was used?

“Is it the only donation from Dowdall to Sinn Féin? Why the secrecy?

“Had a Fine Gael leader taken €1,000 donation from a gangland criminal and torturer, all would want to know, right down to last cent, what happened that money – and quite right. Dowdall waterboarded a man while he was actually a Sinn Fein councillor in January 2015,” Deputy Carroll MacNeill said.

“In the last two months we have learnt one thing about Sinn Féin. They are top of the league when it comes to dodging issues and scrutiny when under a sustained focus. Clear answers are needed from the very top of the party on several topics including:

• The proposed future sacking civil servants
• Criminal and torturer in chief, Jonathan Dowdall and his 2011 €1,000 donation to Mary Lou McDonald
• Questions on SIPO party returns related to property valuations
• Terrible alternative Budgets that would have left people less well off
• The question of strategic suing of media organisations, individuals and politicians
• Uncosted energy price caps
• Loans to party representatives

“But don’t expect to hear proper answers to these soon. Deflection and double speak are the top of Sinn Féin’s agenda this weekend,” Deputy Carroll MacNeill said.