Getting to the truth is essential for Charleton inquiry

Michael Clifford explains how false allegations against Garda whistleblower Maurice McCabe threatened to undermine public trust in the institutions of the State

THE significance of tomorrow’s opening statement from the Disclosures Tribunal should not be lost on anybody interested in public affairs. Tribunals had been consigned to the grave for the last decade. The only reason for this resurrection is the plea from a garda and his family to have facts established in public, as they have lost faith in the State’s capacity to do it behind closed doors.

The tribunal was established following a statement from Maurice and Lorraine McCabe referencing a public inquiry as the only vehicle in which they would have faith.