Two Dublin men, including a senior Sinn Féin activist, have been sentenced to four years in prison following their conviction on charges of IRA membership by the Special Criminal Court.
Niall Binéad (35), of Faughart Road, Crumlin, and Kenneth Donohoe (26), of Sundale Avenue, Mountain View, Tallaght, were found guilty by the three judge court on November 18th.
Mr Justice Diarmuid O'Donovan sentenced them to four years each in prison, dating from November 18th. He said he and the other two judges had totally disregarded the commentary in the media about the case.
He said the court had taken account of the two men's personal circumstances and the fact that the Provisional IRA was on ceasefire, had engaged in decommissioning and was likely to do so in the near future.
However he said the court noted the reservations of Chief Superintendent Diarmuid O'Sullivan about the two men's adherence to the IRA ceasefire.
Binéad was a former branch secretary with Sinn Féin and also a key election worker for Dublin South Central TD, Mr Aengus Ó Snodaigh.
The court was told during the trial that the two men were arrested after gardai arrested five other men following suspicious activity around three vehicles in Corke Abbey, Bray, Co Wicklow on October 10th, 2002.
Inside a transit van gardaí found four men as well as a sledgehammer,two pick axe handles, eight bags of ties, radios, a black balaclava, rubber gloves and a yellow fluorescent jacket with the word "Garda" labelled on it. In a Nissan Almera car with false number plates they found a blue flashing beacon, a Long Kesh baseball cap, a stun gun, a canister of CS gas and a roll of black tape.
Binead's thumbprint was found on the roll of black tape found in the Nissan Almera and the court was told that another car involved in the incident at Bray belonged to a woman who is the partner of Donohoe.
Donohoe was arrested later that month and Binead was arrested in December of that year. During the trial the court heard that a document - a cigarette paper - was found in small briefcase at Binead's home.
It contained the names of the late Mr Jim Mitchell, Mr Des O'Malley and Mr John O'Donoghue as well as the names of other politicians. Details of the movements of other politicians were also uncovered.
In the Dáil, Fine Gael leader Mr Enda Kenny raised the "very serious implications" of the Special Criminal Court verdicts and how one convicted IRA member had "a very close association with a member of the House".
Mr Kenny claimed that up to 20 Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs had been under surveillance but only found out through the newspapers.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern said he had no knowledge of the spying activities other than what came out in court today.
"These are obviously very serious matters that information is being gathered on elected members of the Oireachtas," he said.
"I still don't know what was the motive of tracing, following, detailing members of this house. "What they were about or why they should be gathering information is a serious issue."
Mr O'Snodaigh said he had known Binead for many years and would go to visit him in prison. He also said he knew Donohoe slightly when he was a member of the Sinn Fein Crumlin Branch.
"I still believe the conviction was unsafe because it was based on undisclosed evidence, the word of a Superintendent and the fact that they had the right to silence denied," he said.
Speaking outside the Dáil, Mr O'Snodaigh said the conviction would not be safe in any other jurisdiction.