Belfast : A political scandal riveting Northern Ireland has a certain cinematic feel: An affair by a 58-year-old woman named Mrs Robinson with a 19-year-old male lover.
Five separate Facebook groups with hundreds of followers have sprung up, lampooning the affair and comparing it to the 1967 film, The Graduate.
But there is a serious side to the story of Iris Robinson, who also happens to be a member of parliament and the wife of Peter Robinson — Northern Ireland's government leader.
The BBC reported that Iris allegedly solicited £50,000 (Dh294,000) from businessmen so her young lover could open a restaurant — without disclosing the fact to lawmakers.
Iris has said she would not seek re-election because she was suffering clinical depression that left her unable to function in public life and revealed that she attempted suicide. She also begged forgiveness from her husband and the public.
So, so sorry
"Everyone is paying a heavy price for my actions ... I am so, so sorry," she said.
Peter, who in 2008 succeeded the Reverend Ian Paisley as head of Northern Ireland's government and its major Protestant political party, vowed on Friday to stay on following the revelations about his wife.
"I will be resolutely defending attacks on my character and contesting any allegations of wrongdoing," Peter said after the BBC investigative team in Belfast exposed the scandal. He stressed he hadn't known key details of his wife's affair before the programme.
On Wednesday, Peter invited four journalists to his home to give his own agonised account of his family's private turmoil — an unprecedented display from a man renowned for an icy demeanour.
The Robinsons neglected to mention the nub of the BBC report: That Iris's lover, 39 years her junior, had received third-party cash from her that should have been disclosed to parliament.
Father's friend
The BBC interviewed the former boyfriend, Kirk McCambley, now 21, who had a relationship with Iris in 2008 that lasted several months. She had been friends with the boy's father, who died earlier that year.
"She looked out for me to make sure I was OK," McCambley said.
He said Iris gave him two checks for £25,000 each, but then asked him for £5,000 back, possibly to donate to the evangelical Protestant church she attends.
The BBC said Peter was aware of the financial deal — which should have been reported to British parliamentary standards authorities in both Belfast and London. Peter Robinson denies having known about the deal.
