Fearghal McKinney, head of the BHF in Northern Eire, stated you will need to right the report because the charity has suffered reputational injury because of the fall out.
“This prompted monumental misery and nervousness amongst our employees and unwavering supporters,” he added.
‘Due diligence’
On Wednesday, O’Neill stated there have been classes for lots of people when it comes to “due diligence for an employer after they tackle an worker”.
Mr McKinney stated O’Neill has “expressed remorse” concerning the feedback.
“It was fairly clear that every time feedback had been made about due diligence that there was just one different organisation that employed him since he was employed by Sinn Féin, so clearly there was a mirrored image on us,” he informed BBC Information NI.
“We have to have assist from the general public – shut supporters, volunteers, employees,” he stated, including that “any injury prompted to that in any respect” can “undermine the nice work” of the charity.
“When this occurred and there was injury prompted, as we noticed it, to our popularity, added injury we thought across the public feedback that had been made, we needed to do one thing to ensure that the report was put straight,” Mr McKinney stated.
“We’re content material that we’ve got performed every part in our energy so as of retaining all our supporters, all our employees and the broader public that’s related with us secure they usually know that that’s what the usual that the British Coronary heart Basis applies.”
The work references had been offered three months after McMonagle was dismissed from the social gathering whereas underneath police investigation.
Sinn Féin stated this occurred with out clearance from the social gathering and described the press officers’ actions as mistaken and unacceptable.
Seán Magazine Uidhir and Caolán McGinley have resigned from their roles on the social gathering.
When requested if the charity was conscious of the explanations for McMonagle leaving Sinn Féin, Mr McKinney replied: “We knew nothing.”
The leaders of the Democratic Unionist Social gathering (DUP) and the Social Democratic and Labour Social gathering (SDLP) have known as for O’Neill to be questioned within the Meeting over the difficulty.
‘Phrases of remorse and apology’
Mr McKinney stated he spoke with O’Neill on Saturday morning and that she provided “phrases of remorse and apology about what has occurred”.
He stated within the telephone name he outlined the hiring course of McMonagle went via, in addition to the “strong inner investigation” that he stated came about after the charity discovered of the fees.
“Michelle O’Neill agreed latest feedback by her and social gathering colleagues questioning the BHF’s due diligence course of had been unhelpful, and he or she expressed remorse for the injury and upset this has prompted to our devoted employees and supporters,” he informed BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme.
“I want to reiterate that the BHF is assured we undertook all obligatory statutory and ethical duties required all through this whole course of.
“The tone of the telephone name and the phrases of the telephone name was ample for us to really feel assured that, actually, the state of affairs and the report has been put completely straight.”
‘Appalled and horrified’
“We reached out to Sinn Féin to allow them to know that the feedback across the nearness of their data about this was not the truth and that actually we had been speaking to a HR official in Sinn Féin over a yr earlier than,” stated Mr McKinney.
O’Neill confirmed on Saturday {that a} human assets (HR) supervisor had been contacted by the charity in August 2023, however added the social gathering’s management had not been made conscious of this.
In a press release on Saturday, she described this as “a severe omission”.
Beforehand, Sinn Féin minister Conor Murphy informed BBC Information NI the social gathering had solely been conscious of the references since 25 September 2024.
O’Neill stated she apologised for the harm and misery brought on by the press officers who offered the references and reiterated Murphy’s declare that the social gathering management was unaware of the references till not too long ago.
“On Wednesday 25 September 2024, Sinn Féin and I had been knowledgeable that two press officers, who had been former colleagues of Michael McMonagle, had offered employment references for him,” O’Neill stated within the assertion.
“I’m completely appalled and horrified that this occurred,” she continued.
“These references got with out the data or authorisation of the social gathering.
“Not at all would the social gathering present a reference, for work or in any other case, for Michael McMonagle.”