13 February 1997 Edition
BBC backs smear campaign
SINN FEIN'S ALEX MASKEY has rubbished the Spotlight programme broadcast by the BBC on Tuesday 11 February and has accused the BBC of backing an SDLP smear campaign against the party. Maskey said there is no evidence that the party is involved in electoral fraud.
Maskey said the programme had a hidden agenda and stressed, ``Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness and myself were interviewed; no evidence of electoral illegality alleged against Sinn Fein was shown to us.
``The electoral office has publicly rejected the suggestion that there is any organised electoral illegality''.
The programme was made by journalist Stephen Walker who was involved in a Spotlight programme last year which claimed to identify members of the IRA Army Council. RUC spy Thomas Douglas, who came forward to An Phoblacht last year, told us he had forwarded information from his RUC handlers to the programme makers. Douglas maintained that he supplied video footage to BBC that was used to reveal the identity of one Belfast Republican who the Spotlight makers said was on the IRA Army Council.
Maskey said the programme had a hidden agenda and stressed, ``Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness and myself were interviewed; no evidence of electoral illegality alleged against Sinn Fein was shown to us.
``The electoral office has publicly rejected the suggestion that there is any organised electoral illegality''.
The programme was made by journalist Stephen Walker who was involved in a Spotlight programme last year which claimed to identify members of the IRA Army Council. RUC spy Thomas Douglas, who came forward to An Phoblacht last year, told us he had forwarded information from his RUC handlers to the programme makers. Douglas maintained that he supplied video footage to BBC that was used to reveal the identity of one Belfast Republican who the Spotlight makers said was on the IRA Army Council.