10 June 2004 Edition
Orde misleads public over O'Connor case
Hugh Orde: Questions to answer
Sinn Féin Assembly member for Newry/Armagh, Conor Murphy, has said that the broad nationalist and republican community note the continuing silence by Hugh Orde over the case of missing Armagh man Gareth O'Connor.
"Since it emerged in court that Gareth O'Connor had a close relationship with the PSNI Special Branch and he was accused of setting up four Tyrone men for arrest, Mr Orde has made no comment on the case," said Murphy.
"This is in marked contrast to his previous position. "Last year, Hugh Orde, in a well planned media intervention, declared that he believed the IRA was involved in the disappearance of Armagh man Gareth O'Connor, this despite the fact that the IRA had denied all knowledge of this. This intervention was clearly planned to cause the maximum political disruption possible to the peace process. His intervention was latched onto by the predictable anti-republican elements in the media and elsewhere.
"What Mr Orde failed to disclose to the media was that his organisation had a relationship with Mr O'Connor. In short, he deliberately misled the public.
"In court, the PSNI sought and received a Public Interest Immunity Certificate to aid the suppression of this story - hardly the actions of a transparent and accountable policing service.
"Hugh Orde needs to tell us why he deliberately misled the public about this matter. He needs to explain why he made the political intervention he did. He needs to provide to the family of Mr O'Connor all of the information relating to this case which he is presently hiding.
"This case again demonstrates the malign influence that Special Branch continues to have over policing in the Six Counties. The use of the Public Interest Immunity Certificate shows that the culture of concealment is alive and well at the heart of Orde's PSNI. Mr Orde and those who provide his political cover cannot continue to be allowed to ignore cases like this. They need to tell us how political policing of this kind fits into their model of an accountable and acceptable policing service."