A TYRONE-based company which rents an office to DUP MP Paul Girvan says it has returned a £10,000 Covid-19 business support grant it received in error.
The Irish News on Saturday revealed the payment was made to Cinq Properties Ltd in respect of the South Antrim MP's constituency office in Ballyclare, Co Antrim.
In a statement the firm in Dromore said the money was "unsolicited" and was returned to Stormont last week after "several attempts were made to repay the funds".
MP and MLA constituency offices were not eligible for the Small Business Support Grant Scheme, which aimed to provide relief cash for struggling businesses.
First Minister and DUP leader Arlene Foster has stressed that no party member received the grant, and urged any landlord who did to return the money.
On Friday evening, the Department of Finance said the recipient of the grant in respect of Mr Girvan's constituency office address had "not repaid the grant to date".
A director of Cinq Properties did not respond to requests for a comment at the time, but in a statement today the firm said the money was repaid on Friday.
The firm said: "Cinq Properties Ltd like many other businesses in Northern Ireland did receive an unsolicited £10,000 small business grant earlier this year.
"However, it has now transpired that the company was not entitled to this grant.
"Several attempts were made to repay the funds and the £10,000 was repaid to an account of the Department of Finance on Friday."
Emergency payments were sent automatically to thousands of bank accounts under the Small Business Support Grant Scheme.
Some 24,700 grants were paid out, but the department said two per cent may not have been eligible.
The scheme became the centre of a political storm last week after BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show revealed three Sinn Féin offices received £10,000 payments in error.
Senator Elisha McCallion, West Tyrone MLA Catherine Kelly and two other party officials have quit over a failure to return the money, which has since been repaid.
