Aontú leader Peadar Tóibin has claimed that phone calls with an Irish News journalist may have been secretly recorded by the PSNI.
Details of the claim emerged during questions in the Dáil on Tuesday.
While questions over PSNI snooping on journalists, lawyers and others have recently been raised, it is believed Mr Tóibin is the first politician, north or south, to publicly suggest they too have been targeted.
Speaking in the Dáil, Mr Tóibin told Taoiseach Simon Harris that he believes two conversations with a journalist were covertly recorded.
In recent months the PSNI has been embroiled in a spy scandal after it emerged that the force has been carrying out covert surveillance on journalists and lawyers.
Details of the snooping came to light through the London-based Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), which is examining allegations that two investigative journalists, Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney, were subjected to unlawful surveillance.
The pair made a complaint to the IPT in 2019 over their arrest the previous year in connection with an acclaimed 2017 documentary about the UVF sectarian murder of six men at the Heights Bar in Loughinisland, Co Down, in June 1994.
The IPT looks at complaints from people who believe they have been the victim of unlawful covert interference.
A third journalist, RTÉ's Vincent Kearney, may also have been snooped on.
It emerged last month that the PSNI made 823 applications for communications data for journalists and lawyers between January 2011 and March this year.
PSNI chief constable Jon Boutcher recently announced a review by Angus McCullough KC into the use of surveillance against journalists, lawyers and non-governmental organisations.
It has now been claimed that the PSNI has been spying on political representatives in the Republic.
During Tuesday’s Dail sitting Mr Tóibin referenced Mr Kearney and the the other two journalists and revealed that he believes phone calls between him and a journalist in the north, who works for the Irish News, were recorded.
“On two occasions when I was talking to a journalist in the north of Ireland the phone calls dropped and immediately after the phone calls dropped a recording of my phone calls...played back to me, which made me believe there was a malfunction of the recording of those phone calls by somebody,” he said.
Addressing the Taoiseach he asked that PSNI snooping be raised with the next Secretary of State.
“Is it good enough that The PSNI record any phone calls of journalists in the north of Ireland and is it good enough that they were potentially recording phone calls by a member of this Dáil here as well?” he said.
“After 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement is this not a threat to the functioning of a democracy in the north of Ireland?
“Will you raise this and ask the incoming Secretary of State for the north of Ireland to investigate this practice by the PSNI?”
In response Mr Harris said he has “no knowledge of the matter” adding that “obviously they are very serious matters”.
“What I am happy to do though if the deputy wishes to correspond with me on the matter I am happy to raise it,” he said.
Irish News Editor in Chief Chris Sherrard said he was concerned by the latest revelation.
“This is a very serious development and we will be closely monitoring the PSNI’s response,” he said.
In a response a PSNI spokesperson said that Chief Constable Jon Boutcher had noted the claims.
“If Mr Tóibin has concerns about any PSNI wrongdoings he can contact the Investigatory Powers Tribunal and the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office who independently oversee the use of investigatory powers in the United Kingdom, ensuring they are used in accordance with the law and in the public interest.
“We hope that the recently announced McCullough review will also provide further assurance to Mr Tóibin that current practices are lawful and proportionate.”
