The Five Demands

All’orizzonte l’accusa di illecito finanziario come conseguenza delle rivelazioni delle ultime ore

Peter Robinson, primo ministro nordirlandese, sente il terreno franare sotto ai propri piedi e dovrà ora prepararsi a rispondere a delle accuse dopo che la moglie Iris ha rivelato di non aver dichiarato un finanziamento di 50.000 sterline destinato al suo ‘baby’ amante, il diciannovenne Kirk McCambley.
La cifra sarebbe servita ad agevolare l’apertura di un ristorante sulle rive del fiume Lagan, presso lo storico Lock Keeper’s Cottage.
La rappresentante di Strangford al Parlmento, ne avrebbe omesso la dichiarazione nonostante sedesse nel consiglio locale.
La somma, suddivisa in  due assegni da 25.000 sterline, proveniva da Fred Fraser e Ken Campbell (pare amici della famiglia Robinson), a cui oltre al finanziamento Iris Robinson avrebbe fatto pressioni a suo nome per uno dei suoi progetti di costruzione nel collegio elettorale di Strangford.
Kirk McCambley ha successivamento dichiarato di aver ricevuto entrambi gli assegni, contro la richiesta di Iris della restituzione di una somma pari a 5.000 sterline in contanti.
Peter Robinson, di cui si rincorrono le voci di sue imminenti dimissioni, sarebbe stato al corrente degli ‘affari’ della moglie e di aver infranto la legge omettendo di darne immediata comunicazione agli organi competenti violando evidentemente le regole parlamentari e i codici.

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Le dichiarazioni di Kirk McCambley
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Robinson ‘broke rules’ over loan (Belfast Telegraph)
Northern Ireland’s First Minister will face intense questions after claims that his wife did not declare a £50,000 loan to help her toyboy lover.
Iris Robinson secured the money from two wealthy developers, who were family friends, so 19-year-old Kirk McCambley could open a restaurant on the banks of the River Lagan.
But the Strangford MP faces allegations she did not declare her financial interest in the business despite sitting on the local council that awarded the tender to her teenage lover in 2008.
Potentially of more political significance in Northern Ireland, her husband and DUP leader Peter Robinson is confronted with the claim that he became aware of the situation but did not alert the appropriate watchdog bodies that his wife may have broken rules.
If the charges, made in a TV documentary last night, are true, they would represent clear breaches of parliamentary rules and codes.
On Wednesday Mrs Robinson, who stepped down from public life 10 days ago citing mental health problems, issued a stunning statement admitting the affair and revealing that, racked by guilt, she had tried to take her own life in March last year.
That was four months after her fling with Mr McCambley ended in acrimony after the couple rowed over the repayments of the loans.
Selwyn Black, a former adviser to the MP, who resigned over the loans issue, told the documentary Mrs Robinson encouraged Mr McCambley to bid for the tender to run a cafe at the historic Lock Keeper’s Cottage, a site Castlereagh Council was redeveloping.
Apparently she then obtained two £25,000 payments from the developers Fred Fraser, who has since died, and Ken Campbell. According to the programme, at the time Mrs Robinson was asking Mr Campbell for the money, she also lobbied on his behalf for one of his building projects in her parliamentary constituency of Strangford.
Mr McCambley said she had both cheques made out in his name but asked him for £5,000 back in cash. The council subsequently awarded him the contract to run the cafe. However, it is claimed that Mrs Robinson failed to register her financial interest in the scheme to her fellow councillors. She also faces claims that she did not record the two loans on her declaration of interests at Stormont and Westminster.