Ó Snodaigh seeks Dáil time to make statement on Liberty Recycling

Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh has requested Dáil time to make a statement about Liberty Recycling, a charity at the centre of a Garda investigation. Ó Snodaigh is the chairman of Liberty Recycling and Fine Gael has been calling for him to make a Dáil statement on the situation at the charity.Liberty Recycling is the subject of a Garda money-laundering investigation that has resulted in its closure, with just over 100 people laid off, the charity’s bank accounts frozen and its records and computers seized.The Charities Regulator went to the High Court and successfully petitioned for a provisional liquidator, KPMG, to be appointed.READ MOREThe regulator has been clear that none of the trustees of Liberty Recycling, including Ó Snodaigh, are under investigation.However, it has been critical of the trustees, saying they did not appear to grasp the seriousness of what is alleged to have taken place in the charity, and that their responses to unfolding events lacked urgency.On Tuesday, Tánaiste Simon Harris renewed his party’s call for Ó Snodaigh, a Dublin South Central TD, to make a Dáil statement. He said if the matter had arisen with any other political party, Sinn Féin would be calling for a statement to be made. Later, during a Sinn Féin press conference, Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane said he would not be responding to Harris.However, he did confirm that Ó Snodaigh had written to Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy to ask to make a personal statement in the Dáil. He said: “I’m very conscious that Aengus got involved in this charity in the first instance for all the right reasons. “As republicans we are very active and rooted in our communities and charities play, obviously, an important role in that, and obviously that was Aengus’s motivation.”He said he was also aware of investigations into the charity and that Ó Snodaigh has engaged with the regulator and has said “he will make himself available to An Garda Síochána if that’s necessary”.Cullinane said: “We have to allow all of those investigations take their course.“And I’ve listened to what Aengus has said over the course of the last number of days and he has made it very clear that he wants to be part of accountability, which is important in relation to this matter”.Cullinane was not able to say when Ó Snodaigh would make his Dáil statement and said that was for him and the Ceann Comhairle to work out.He added: “Aengus is not in any way under any criminal investigation. His motivations of why he got involved in this charity are clear for people to see.“He has spoken about that for a long number of years and his work in the community I think is second to none.“But also I think he was very resolute and very quickly said he would deal with and respond to any investigation and play his part in any investigation as a director because he feels he has that responsibility, as I assume others do as well.”He said Ó Snodaigh “wants to see accountability here if there was any wrongdoing and obviously now that’s a matter for An Garda Síochána to deal with”.