Former IRA chief of staff Tom ‘Slab’ Murphy jailed on Friday for tax evasion
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood says sentencing of Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy on Friday following his conviction for tax evasion in the Special Criminal Court shows the need for people to respect the rule of law.
Murphy has alleged to have been the IRA’s chief of staff and had not paid tax from 1996.
During raids on his farm which straddled the south Armagh border, hundreds of thousands of pounds in cash, Euros and bank drafts were found hidden among bails of hay.
Murphy, 66, denies being a tax cheat and following his 18 month sentence handed down at Dublin’s Special Criminal Court on Friday, he said he planned to appeal immediately.
Sinn Fein chiefs Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness have in the past praised ‘Slab’ Murphy saying he was a “good republican” and that the peace process would not have happened without him.
Mr Eastwood, SDLP MLA for Foyle, said: “The support and acceptance of the independent judiciary is a keystone of democracy and the rule of law and all parties must accept today’s sentencing from the court.
“It is not acceptable for some to seek to give Mr Murphy, a convicted criminal, political cover. It’s also inaccurate to describe him as a ‘good republican’.
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood
“Depriving the Irish state of tax revenue to fund hospitals, schools or jobs is not a republican value.
“A good republican lives up to their obligations to others, they do not seek to evade their responsibilities in the pursuit of personal greed.
“Every party leader must be clear – the rule of law applies to every citizen equally.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re friends with Gerry Adams; everyone is subject to the law without exception.
“That is a founding principle of any republic.
“Any attempt to undermine the judgment of the court for political purposes is a dangerous precedent and would prove a party unfit to govern fairly.”