CPI facing closure after withdrawal of funding
The Centre for Public Inquiry (CPI) is facing closure today after having its funding withdrawn due to controversy surrounding its executive director.
The centre was established earlier this year to conduct independent investigations into matters of public importance.
It was funded by Atlantic Philanthropies, a trust set up by Irish-American millionaire Chuck Feeney.
Mr Feeney has now withdrawn that funding amid claims that the CPI's director, Frank Connolly, travelled to Colombia on a false passport as part of an IRA plot to train local rebels in the use of explosives.
Earlier this week, Minister for Justice Michael McDowell used his Dáil privilege to level the accusation against Mr Connolly, an investigative journalist and anti-corruption campaigner.
Mr Connolly, whose brother was one of the so-called Colombia Three, has accused the minister of engaging in a "witch hunt" designed to destroy his reputation and undermine the CPI.
The board of the centre, meanwhile, is due to hold an emergency meeting today to discuss the withdrawal of its funding and the effect it will have on the body's ability to carry out its work.
