Jamie Bryson '˜coached' by Sinn Fein before Nama evidence

According to a report in the Irish  News, north Antrim MLA Daithi McKay was in contact with Mr Bryson in the weeks before the hearing.

Sinn Féin this morning told the said it will “urgently and robustly” pursue the claims that loyalist Jamie Bryson was “coached” by party members ahead of his appearance before Stormont’s inquiry into the Nama property deal.

Alliance Economy spokesperson Stephen Farry has said revelations Sinn Fein ‘coached’ Jamie Bryson ahead of his evidence session to the Assembly on Nama has “cast real doubt” over the entire inquiry process.

Speaking after newspaper allegations that the then Chair of Stormont’s Finance Committee, Daithi McKay, arranged a Sinn Fein back channel to the loyalist to tell him how to approach his evidence session earlier this year, including precisely how to make allegations against former First Minister Peter Robinson and when Sinn Fein MLA Mairtin O Muilleoir would step in with his questions during the session, North Down MLA Dr Farry said the disclosure was “incredibly telling” for both Sinn Fein and Mr Bryson.

“Prior to Mr Bryson’s appearance at the Nama evidence inquiry session, Alliance expressed concern over the potential for his evidence to consist of hearsay, politically motivated or that it would be otherwise unreliable and could possibly prejudice any police investigation. This revelation vindicates that caution.”

And in a statement issued this morning, DUP MP Sammy Wilson said: “When I appeared before the DFP committee to give evidence during their investigation into the NAMA deal, I branded it as Mickey Mouse.”

He later adds: “It appears that I was wrong in my assessment. This was not a Mickey Mouse operation it was a corrupt, contrived, controlled, crooked and criminal conspiracy in which Sinn Fein tutored the witnesses, fed them committee papers and orchestrated the interview even down to the point of instructing Bryson as to when he would be permitted to make his damaging punch lines. It is also clear that Sinn Fein knew he had no evidence for the allegations he was going to make so advised him as to how he could get it all on the record without the committee being stopped.”