IMC to report on Belfast bank heist this week

The body tasked with monitoring compliance with the Belfast Agreement is to publish a report encompassing last month's £26.5 million Belfast bank heist by the end of the week.

The Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) scotched suggestions today that it would publish its next report scheduled for April ahead of time because of the IRA's alleged involvement in the Northern Bank robbery.

The Taoiseach meeting with Lord Alderice, Mr John Grieve and Mr Joe Brosnan from the IMC at Government Buildings today

An official IMC spokesperson said this morning: "We have no plans at the moment to publish any report ahead of our scheduled fourth six-monthly report in April, 2005."

But after meeting the four members of the IMC this lunchtime, the Taoiseach Mr Ahern said he expected a preliminary report on recent events in the North by the end of the week.

"The IMC said it was their intention to complete a preliminary report into recent matters by the end of this week," Mr Ahern said.

However, the Taoiseach said he told them it was his view that penalising Sinn Fein would be counter-productive.

"I do not think the politics of exclusion, or penalties will bring us forward. We have serious issues that we have to find resolutions for.

"I will positively work to try to find resolutions for those. Of course we need answers to the questions that we posed last week but we have to work positively throughout this year.

"I do not think that the politics of exclusion will get us anywhere," Mr Ahern said.

Both Sinn Fein and the IRA and have hotly contested the claim by PSNI chief Constable Hugh Orde. But the British and Irish Governments have accepted Mr Orde's contention.

Mr Ahern said earlier this month that he believed Sinn Féin leaders must have had prior knowledge of the raid though last week he said he did not believe the party should be sanctioned.

The IMC has the power to recommend sanctions against any party failing to observe the Belfast Agreement and there is increasing speculation that it will recommend that Sinn Féin be financially penalised because the IRA was behind heist.