Tag Archives: Garda management

Yesterday.

Readers may recall how members of senior Garda management fielded questions in the Oireachtas justice and equality committee in light of the Crowe Horwath report for the Policing Authority on the fake breath tests and issuing of summonses.

During the meeting, Independents 4 Change TD Mick Wallace revealed that a new Garda whistleblower, whom he said is out sick because of work-related stress, has made a protected disclosure.

Mr Wallace didn’t disclose any more details.

Readers may wish to note that, during the same meeting, Mr Wallace asked the Chief Administration Officer for An Garda Siochana Joe Nugent about former Garda Commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan’s private Gmail account.

Specifically, Mr Wallace put it to Mr Nugent that he did a report on the use of a Gmail account by Ms O’Sullivan and then asked if he had sent this report to the Department of Justice.

Mr Nugent said he couldn’t remember if he did, in fact, create such a report.

But he said:

“I certainly looked at emails going back, that’s about 12 months ago, deputy. Can I remember if it was sent to the Department of Justice? I don’t know. It is over 12 months ago that that issue occurred. So, again, I just don’t remember that.”

Mr Wallace also asked Mr Nugent, and the other Garda officials, if any of them had received emails from Ms O’Sullivan’s Gmail account.

Mr Nugent said he would have received “press commentary and interesting articles” from Ms O’Sullivan’s Gmail account.

But he said he didn’t receive any emails regarding official Garda business.

Deputy Garda Commissione John Twomey also said he received press articles.

The other gardai said they either didn’t or they couldn’t recall receiving any such correspondence via Ms O’Sullivan’s Gmail.

Further to this…

Yesterday, Sarah Bardon, in The Irish Times, reported:

“Gardaí failed to provide a report to the Policing Authority on a private email account used by former Garda commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan.

“The Irish Times has learned the Policing Authority requested a report “in relation to the email issue mentioned, including some sense of the volumes of traffic on official devices, the scale of usage, content risk and how assurance on mitigation of this risk is provided”.

“This request was made at a meeting in December 2016, a month after it emerged Ms O’Sullivan had used a commercial email service to send official Garda correspondence.

“A similar request to An Garda Síochána was made by the former minister for justice, Frances Fitzgerald.

Nóirín O’Sullivan private email not reported to Policing Authority (Sarah Bardon, The Irish Times)

Previously: When Is A Trawl Not A Trawl?

Sgt Maurice McCabe outside the Disclosures Tribunal this summer

This morning.

Further to questions being asked about what former Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald and the Department of Justice knew of the legal strategy used by the former Garda Commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan and several gardai in the O’Higgins Commission of Investigation in 2015 – in which allegations made by Ms O’Sullivan’s legal counsel were dropped after Sgt McCabe proved them to be false…

And reports of a phone call from Ms O’Sullivan to the then acting Secretary General at the Department of Justice Noel Waters on May 15, 2015 – the same date Sgt McCabe first gave evidence at the O’Higgins Commission which delivered the first blow to Ms O’Sullivan’s legal strategy…

And how within hours of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar saying on Tuesday, during Leaders’ Questions, that he could not be sure if there was such a call or not, Mr Waters announced he’ll be stepping down in February as he is approaching 40 years of service…

And Mr Varadkar saying yesterday that “it’s very hard to answer questions for third parties, or unnamed third parties” but admitted he hasn’t spoken with Mr Waters directly…

Niall O’Connor, on Independent.ie, reports:

Garda Headquarters has directed officers of all ranks to scrutinise their personal email accounts, handwritten notes and laptops for any material relating to Garda whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe.

In an unprecedented move, an assistant commissioner has been appointed to oversee the collation of potentially reams of electronic and written data from gardaí that will then be forwarded to the Disclosures Tribunal.

In a memo sent to all Garda divisions, seen by the Irish Independent, Garda management laid down the diktat ahead of the next phase of the tribunal, which is examining an alleged smear campaign against Sgt McCabe.

The blanket search even includes emails sent from officers’ own personal Gmail accounts.

…The news of the major fishing expedition is believed to stem from previous criticism levelled at management by whistleblower Keith Harrison.

…Gda Harrison is taking separate High Court action against the Garda Commissioner for breaching a court order.

Former commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan was accused of failing to fulfil an order to furnish Gda Harrison with the full Garda file in relation to a personal injury claim.

Acting Garda Commissioner Dónall Ó Cualáin may be forced to appear in court to defend the claim.

Gardaí must hand over all personal emails and notes about McCabe (Independent.ie)

Previously: The Legal Strategy Against Maurice McCabe

Meet The Acting Commissioner

Rollingnews