Brian Stanley quits Sinn Féin after being accused of ‘gross misconduct’; party takes case to gardaí – The Irish Times

Sinn Féin’s internal investigation into allegations against TD Brian Stanley has reached the preliminary conclusion that gross misconduct was committed against him before he resigned from the party on Saturday evening.

Stanley sharply questions the conduct of the investigation, suggesting that it “resembled a kind of kangaroo court.”

The Irish Times understands that an investigation launched following a complaint about Mr Stanley found that the complaint against him was true, that he had breached Sinn Féin’s code of ethics and found gross misconduct against him.

Last week, the draft findings were circulated to litigants and they were asked to submit any comments or conclusions before the inquiry makes its final recommendations. However, this process has now been interrupted by Stanley’s resignation.

In a statement released on Sunday afternoon, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said “the matter has been referred to An Garda Síochána”.

Asked later why – if the matter was so serious – the party first investigated the matter and then referred it to the police, Ms McDonald said it was done out of an “abundance of caution”.

The news of Stanley’s resignation late on Saturday evening was met with shock both within and outside Sinn Féin. As chairman of the powerful Public Accounts Committee, he was one of the party’s most high-profile TDs, with his role particularly prominent during last year’s committee hearings into the RTÉ scandals. Sinn Féin sources said they would quickly try to remove him as chairman of the committee.

His resignation statement was scathing about the investigation process.

“In recent months, a certain clique in the party has made every effort to damage my reputation and character. They spared no effort in this regard,” he said.

“In connection with a “complaint,” I was recently brought before an internal party “investigation.”

“Given what happened and the work of my legal team, it is clear that this process lacked objectivity, contained serious errors and lacked impartiality.

“This ‘investigation’ has been shown to lack even a shred of credibility, particularly due to the significant abuse of process. In many ways it was like a kind of kangaroo court. The legal review of this matter will continue.”

Stanley said that “after 40 years of service to Sinn Féin, I will now continue to work as an independent Republican TD on behalf of the voters who have always treated me fairly and with respect.”

However, Sinn Féin insisted that Mr Stanley’s rights “were protected throughout the trial”, pointing out that he was represented by a solicitor and barrister throughout.

“We will not ignore or hide from difficult issues when they arise,” McDonald’s said in a statement.

“These are not the results that anyone wants to see, but I want to make clear that we have robust procedures in place to deal with these issues, which will be followed at all times and will apply equally to all party members.”

Attempts to contact Mr. Stanley yesterday were unsuccessful.

The resignation is a further blow to Sinn Féin, which is reeling from recent revelations that two senior party figures in Northern Ireland mentioned a former party spokesman who was under investigation for child sex crimes. He has since pleaded guilty.

Last week, Kildare TD Patricia Ryan resigned from the party after her local organization rebelled against a ban on asking Ms McDonald “negative” or “inappropriate” questions at the event.

Reports also emerged over the weekend that another senior party official had resigned after allegedly sending inappropriate text messages to a 17-year-old party member. The party member was suspended by Sinn Féin in September 2023 and the incident was referred to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and social services.