Sir, - Vincent Browne in his latest column in The Irish Times (January 8th) attempts to use an interview with the editor of the Kerryman which took place in 1988 to discredit me.
That interview can only be judged in the context of my deliberate attempts to continue to fool the Provisionals as to my real political outlook and values. In other words, I was going into a very dangerous and difficult situation in Crumlin Road jail in Belfast and I was building a cover story. Browne is fundamentally dishonest in his treatment of the interview, which took place hours before I handed myself up to the police and what is more, in my opinion, he is quite aware that he is being selective to the point of being economical with the truth.
The truth of the situation is that I have made a full and frank statement to the RUC with regard to any crimes which took place in the Irish Republic in which I was involved. It should also be borne in mind that a war against the most violent and ruthless terrorist organisation in Western Europe sometimes requires subterfuge, both on behalf of individuals like myself and the State.
I do not know why charges were not proceeded with in relation to crimes I have participated in between 1979 and 1985 in the Irish Republic but I can assume the people charged with protecting our democracy and who have a hard and thankless job to perform believe that the common good was best advanced by the course of action they took.
Browne makes the point that I should have been served with an extradition warrant and returned to the Irish Republic to face trial. I would have thought that a "legal expert" like Browne would have been aware of the existence of the Criminal Law Jurisdiction Act. Perhaps not. Let me explain. After I made a full and frank confession to the RUC, they informed the Garda authorities about the information relevant to them. There was then nothing to stop the DPP in Dublin proceeding with the case in Northern Ireland. That is established legal procedure. Witness the case of Gerry Tuite in the Republic on March 6th 1982.
It obviously did not happen and now we come to a legal concept which Browne is certainly not familiar with, that of natural justice. I admitted to a large number of crimes in 1988 and was subsequently charged with some of them. I served eight years in prison. But for the other charges to be proceeded with now, bearing in mind that they could easily have been dealt with at the time, would be an act of gross legal unfairness. In simple terms, I would have served two sentences instead of one.
It can clearly be seen that only one organisation can gain from these virulent and sustained attacks on me, namely the Provisional IRA, that obnoxious and murderous organisation which has brought misery, death and degradation to so many of our people. - Yours etc