McMonagle case caused 'reputational damage' to charity

Fearghal McKinney, caput of the BHF successful Northern Ireland, said it is important to close the grounds arsenic the foundation has suffered reputational harm owed to the autumn out.

“This caused tremendous distress and anxiousness among our unit and unwavering supporters,” helium added.

On Wednesday, O'Neill said determination were lessons for a batch of radical successful presumption of "due diligence for an leader erstwhile they instrumentality connected an employee”.

Mr McKinney said O'Neill has "expressed regret" astir the comments.

“It was rather wide that whenever comments were made astir owed diligence that determination was lone 1 different organisation that employed him since helium was employed by Sinn Féin, truthful intelligibly determination was a reflection connected us," helium told BBC News NI.

“We request to person enactment from the nationalist – adjacent supporters, volunteers, staff,” helium said, adding that “any harm caused to that astatine all” tin “undermine the bully work” of the charity.

“When this happened and determination was harm caused, arsenic we saw it, to our reputation, added harm we thought astir the nationalist comments that were made, we had to bash thing to marque definite that the grounds was enactment straight,” Mr McKinney said.

“We’re contented that we person done everything successful our powerfulness successful bid of keeping each our supporters, each our unit and the wider nationalist that’s connected with america harmless and they cognize that that’s what the modular that the British Heart Foundation applies.”

The enactment references were provided 3 months aft McMonagle was dismissed from the enactment portion nether constabulary investigation.

Sinn Féin said this happened without clearance from the enactment and described the property officers' actions arsenic incorrect and unacceptable.

Seán Mag Uidhir and Caolán McGinley have resigned from their roles astatine the party.

When asked if the foundation was alert of the reasons for McMonagle leaving Sinn Féin, Mr McKinney replied: “We knew nothing.”

The leaders of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) person called for O'Neill to beryllium questioned successful the Assembly implicit the issue.

Mr McKinney said helium spoke with O’Neill connected Saturday greeting and that she offered “words of regret and apology astir what has happened”.

He said successful the telephone telephone helium outlined the hiring process McMonagle went through, arsenic good arsenic the “robust interior investigation” that helium said took spot aft the foundation learned of the charges.

“Michelle O’Neill agreed caller comments by her and enactment colleagues questioning the BHF’s owed diligence process were unhelpful, and she expressed regret for the harm and upset this has caused to our dedicated unit and supporters," helium told BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.

“I privation to reiterate that the BHF is assured we undertook each indispensable statutory and motivation duties required passim this full process.

“The code of the telephone telephone and the words of the telephone telephone was capable for america to consciousness assured that, successful fact, the concern and the grounds has been enactment perfectly straight."

“We reached retired to Sinn Féin to fto them cognize that the comments astir the nearness of their cognition astir this was not the world and that successful information we had been talking to a HR authoritative successful Sinn Féin implicit a twelvemonth before,” said Mr McKinney.

O'Neill confirmed connected Saturday that a quality resources (HR) manager had been contacted by the foundation successful August 2023, but added the party's enactment had not been made alert of this.

In a connection connected Saturday, she described this arsenic "a superior omission".

Previously, Sinn Féin curate Conor Murphy told BBC News NI the enactment had lone been alert of the references since 25 September 2024.

O'Neill said she apologised for the wounded and distress caused by the property officers who provided the references and reiterated Murphy's assertion that the enactment enactment was unaware of the references until recently.

“On Wednesday 25 September 2024, Sinn Féin and I were informed that 2 property officers, who were erstwhile colleagues of Michael McMonagle, had provided employment references for him," O'Neill said successful the statement.

"I americium perfectly appalled and horrified that this occurred," she continued.

"These references were fixed without the cognition oregon authorisation of the party.

"Under nary circumstances would the enactment supply a reference, for enactment oregon otherwise, for Michael McMonagle."