McDonald says she took “decisive action” after the arrested former employee received a reference

While Mr McMonagle’s employment with Sinn Féin was suspended and then terminated following his arrest in 2021, he received recommendations for a position at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) from two former colleagues.

The British Heart Foundation was unaware of the investigation into McMonagle during his time at the charity.

Ms McDonald apologized for the distress caused by the controversy and said she was determined to “ensure an incident like this never happens again”.

It is Ms McDonald’s first statement on the controversy since the news broke last Monday, after First Minister Michelle O’Neill previously apologized over the matter.

“I am outraged by the crimes of Michael McMonagle, who is facing the full force of the law,” Ms McDonald said.

“When he was questioned by the PSNI in 2021, he was immediately suspended from the party and his employment, as required by our child protection and human resources procedures.”

The Sinn Féin leader said she was made aware of the tips made to McMonagle by two former press secretaries, Seán Mag Uidhir and Caolán McGinley, on September 25 last year.

Ms McDonald said they were “guilty of serious misconduct” and were neither employed nor members of the party. The two press spokespersons resigned on September 28th.

“Your actions are unforgivable and absolutely unacceptable to me,” Ms McDonald said, adding that this was done without consultation with the entire party.

I deeply regret that the British Heart Foundation is involved in a problem that was not of its making

“They are doing incredibly important work and I look forward to continuing our collaboration with them now and in the future.”

“I apologize for the distress caused by these events. I am committed to ensuring that an incident like this never happens again.”

Ms McDonald said she had asked the new general secretary to “immediately initiate a complete overhaul of governance procedures within the party”.

“We will do everything necessary to ensure an incident like this never happens again,” she said.

“I will ensure that there are clear processes in place so that there are no gray areas at all where a person has been suspended or terminates their employment with Sinn Féin to ensure that there are no issues relating to the return of work passes in the future, and to do so without fail.” It is clear that references cannot be provided by individual employees.”

Ms McDonald has faced increasing pressure to address the controversy and Taoiseach Simon Harris called on her to respond on Sunday.