SINN Féin have suspended Oldpark councillor JJ Magee from the party after allegations came forward of inappropriate messages with a minor.
On Sunday night Sinn Féin National Chairperson Declan Kearney announced the removal of the party whip from Mr Magee and confirmed that allegations have been reported to social services and the police as part of the party's safeguarding policy.
The PSNI stated that it received a report in June 2024 but found "no criminal offences detected."
Cllr Magee's solicitors, KRW Law said Mr Magee "denies any allegation of inappropriate conduct, especially any actions that could breach the code of conduct for councillors."
A statement from KRW Law said: "Our client has lodged a 12,000 word, 38 page rebuttal to a complaint which has been lodged with the NI Local Government Commissioner for Standards.
“Our client absolutely denies any allegation of inappropriate conduct and in particular any conduct which may have occasioned a breach of the Code of Conduct for Councillors.
“The complaint as lodged, is malicious, selective and edits significant portions of messages sent and received over a three-month period which deprived the Commissioner of the opportunity to appropriately assess whether the threshold for initiating a complaint procedure had been met.
"The complainant acknowledges that she has been advised by unknown and unnamed advisors in the preparation of her complaint.
“Our client asserts that there is not a single line in any message sent by him which could be considered to be inappropriate.
“Our client further confirms that he did not make Sinn Féin aware of this complaint as there was no substance to the complaint.”
