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A parliamentary standards watchdog has been urged to re-investigate Ian Paisley after another series of claims about luxury foreign holidays.<\/p>\nA parliamentary standards watchdog has been urged to re-investigate Ian Paisley after another series of claims about luxury foreign holidays.<\/p>\n
Politicians from both sides of Northern Ireland\u2019s community divide urged the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone to examine the allegations leveled against the North Antrim MP.<\/p>\n
His DUP party leader Arlene Foster acknowledged that \u201cserious issues\u201d had been raised in yesterday\u2019s night\u2019s BBC Spotlight program about Mr Paisley\u2019s trips to the Maldives.<\/p>\n
The program claimed one of a number of undeclared luxury family holidays Mr Paisley reportedly took was paid for by a former minister in the Maldives government, while another trip had also been complimentary.<\/p>\n
Mr Paisley was suspended from the House of Commons in 2018 for 30 days for \u201cserious misconduct\u201d for failing to declare two family holidays to Sri Lanka in 2013.<\/p>\n
He survived parliament\u2019s first ever recall petition.<\/p>\n
Mrs Foster said the fresh claims would be investigated by party officers.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs you know Ian was suspended for 57 days last year by the party,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is now back in the party under sanction and those sanctions still exist.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we will look at that and deal with those serious issues that have been raised by the Spotlight program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sinn F\u00e9in MLA for North Antrim Philip McGuigan urged Ms Stone to investigate.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother tearful \u2018mea culpa\u2019 apology from Ian Paisley just isn\u2019t going to be enough,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese allegations are gravely serious and they need to be treated as such by the authorities and Ian Paisley\u2019s own party.\u201d<\/p>\n
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, who also referred the issue the commissioner, called on Mrs Foster to act.<\/p>\n
\u201cIan Paisley should come forward now and clarify the circumstances of these holidays, who paid for them and on what basis,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he does not, then it is for Arlene Foster to take action and to do so quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ulster Unionist leader Robin Swann said the program had raised \u201cserious allegations\u201d which needed answers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere`s no point in him hiding away until the heat dies down,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe continued foreign escapades of the Member of Parliament for North Antrim do nothing to enhance the reputation of the area.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alliance chief whip Kellie Armstrong said: \u201cIf this behavior is true and he is found to be guilty of it, Mr Paisley will have once again let down not only his constituents but also himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we are to regain the trust of the wider public in politics, there must be full openness and transparency from all.\u201d<\/p>\n
TUV leader Jim Allister claimed Mr Paisley was damaging unionism.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch self-inflicted injury is not what we need or expect from a Unionist MP,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Last December, BBC Spotlight raised queries over who paid for a luxury holiday the DUP MP and his family took to the Coco Bodu Hithi resort in the nation in 2016.<\/p>\n
Mr Paisley said then that he paid for part of the holiday and the rest was paid for by a friend.<\/p>\n
He did not reveal the identity of this friend, but added that the friend was unconnected with his work and has received no benefit as a result of his work.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday night, a follow-up BBC Spotlight program, Paisley In Paradise Revisited, reported that the friend was Dr Mohamed Shainee, who at the time of Mr Paisley\u2019s trip to Coco Bodu Hithi was the Maldives Fisheries and Agriculture Minister.<\/p>\n
Dr Shainee told the program he did not pay for the trip.<\/p>\n
However the program reported that in a statement, Sunland Hotels which owns the resort, told them: \u201cIn 2016, Mohamed Shainee requested Sunland Hotels co-owner Hussain Hilmy for a rate at one of the company\u2019s resorts \u2026 Shainee settled the payment for Ian Paisley\u2019s stay at the head office.\u201d<\/p>\n
BBC Spotlight also raised questions about other visits it reported that Mr Paisley made to the Maldives.<\/p>\n
One of these trips, in February 2016 with the All-Party British-Maldives Parliamentary Group, was registered with the House of Commons Register of Interests.<\/p>\n
But the other two trips \u2013 one to Kandolhu resort with his family in April 2014 and a two-night stay in January 2016 at Paradise Island resort \u2013 were not declared.<\/p>\n
The trips would only require to be declared if they were gifted to the MP.<\/p>\n
Spotlight reported that a source told them the trip to Kandolhu was complimentary.<\/p>\n
Mr Paisley did not respond to BBC Spotlight over these questions, and did not respond when approached by Press Association.<\/p>\n
Spotlight also approached the DUP over whether an announced investigation into Mr Paisley\u2019s visit to the Coco Bodu Hithi resort had reached a conclusion.<\/p>\n
A DUP spokesman said: \u201cDiscipline is an internal party matter. We do not give a running commentary. All members are treated fairly and have a right to due process.\u201d<\/p>\n
In relation to the Sri Lanka holidays, Mr Paisley had referred himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.<\/p>\n
Ms Stone found that Mr Paisley had failed to properly declare two holidays and engaged in paid advocacy for the Sri Lankan government.<\/p>\n
Parliament suspended Mr Paisley from the House of Commons for 30 days over the matter.<\/p>\n
However, a petition to trigger a by-election in his North Antrim constituency fell short by 444 votes.<\/p>\n
On his return to the House of Commons following his suspension, he said: \u201cA smaller man than me would have crumbled.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Paisley is the son of veteran politician Ian Paisley, who was one of the founders of the DUP, and held the North Antrim Westminster seat since 1970.<\/p>\n