The former Garda commissioner Martin Callinan and his replacement, Nóirín O’Sullivan, must give a “full statement” to explain why a secret 2014 meeting in a car park to discredit whistle-blower Maurice McCabe took place.

WHILE yesterday’s statement on the O’Higgins Report from Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan accepts that the gardaí have “inescapable lessons” to learn based on their shortcomings in critical areas including their dealings with whistleblowers, it has failed to clear the air on the controversy surrounding apparently contradictory references to Sgt Maurice McCabe.

Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan has denied her legal team was instructed to “impugn the integrity” of whistleblower Maurice McCabe or to claim he was acting maliciously.

The Garda Ombudsman is to investigate claims two senior officers misrepresented a 2008 meeting with whistle-blower Maurice McCabe to the O’Higgins commission by alleging he was motivated by malice.

Tánaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has restated her belief that Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan will clarify her instructions to her legal team as how to deal with whistleblower Maurice McCabe at the O’Higgins Commission.

There are growing signs the expected statement from the Garda commissioner over the O’Higgins transcripts is awaiting a “political” green light.

These days there would be precious few judges who would instinctively protect An Garda Síochána from scrutiny. Whether or not the same open, robust approach would inform big decisions that would have major repercussions for the executive is a matter of conjecture, writes Michael Clifford.

The Garda Commissioner is expected to issue a statement as early as today in a bid to quell controversy over her directions to lawyers over Sergeant Maurice McCabe at the O’Higgins inquiry.

The selective leaking of the O’Higgins report and the attempt to sully the character of Garda Maurice McCabe are typical examples of whistleblower reprisal, a backlash against the character, reputation, and livelihood of those who speak out, says Tom Clonan

Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan was last night refusing to heed calls from Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald to clarify her attempted undermining of Garda whistle-blower, Maurice McCabe.

If the Garda Commissioner knew a false case was going to be made against Garda McCabe her position is untenable. If she didn’t, she still has questions to answer, writes Michael Clifford    

The ball is squarely back in Nóirín O’Sullivan’s court — Tánaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald firmly knocked it there yesterday.

A legal expert has cast doubt on Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald’s claim that she is precluded from discussing the instruction given by Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan to her legal team during the O’Higgins Commission.

If you're wondering how we got to where we are now, Michael Clifford breaksdown the main points from the continuing controversy surrounding the Garda Commissioner, whistleblower Maurice McCabe and the O’Higgins report

Tánaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has said Garda commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan will seek to clarify attempts by her legal team to discredit whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe.

It was inevitable, writes Daniel McConnell

There is an “immediate crisis of trust and confidence” in the Garda Commissioner, Nóirín O’Sullivan, who has been called to resign her position by Opposition TDs.

There was a campaign to undermine Garda whistleblower Maurice McCabe which made its way to the O’Higgins commission, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has claimed in the Dáil.

Sergeant Maurice McCabe threatened to bring a High Court action to injunct the O’Higgins report after receiving a draft copy that made no mention of the attempt to attribute to him a motive of malice for raising his concerns about garda malpractice.

A Garda staff association has said it is “a matter for the Garda commissioner” to clarify any “murkiness” over claims made to the O’Higgins inquiry by her lawyers that Sergeant Maurice McCabe was motivated by “malice”.

Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan is under fire from the opposition to clarify exactly why she tried to “impugn” Sgt Maurice McCabe’s character at the O’Higgins Commission.

Former justice minister Alan Shatter says critical findings against him in the Guerin report cost him his seat as a TD and that he was abused and spat at after the inquiry.

Two issues — water charges and the O’Higgins report — have illustrated again why Enda Kenny was his party’s greatest impediment to electoral success, writes Daniel McConnell, Political Editor.

Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan claimed Sgt Maurice McCabe was motivated by “malice” when he highlighted malpractice in the force, documents from the O’Higgins Commission of Inquiry show.

Families of homicide victims have demanded “accountability” following the publication of the O’Higgins report and, furthermore, heavily criticised the media’s concentration on the political fallout.

Going along with an attempt to impugn Garda Maurice McCabe’s character raises fundamental questions about the Commissioner’s attitude to him and his concerns, writes Michael Clifford.

The O’Higgins report into complaints by whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe has said any disciplinary proceedings against gardaí implicated “would not be helpful”.

Enda Kenny has refused to say if he will correct the Dáil record concerning remarks he made about Alan Shatter and instead said the O’Higgins inquiry confirms the former justice minister “did his work well”.

What stands out is the treatment meted out to the whistleblower within the force, writes Michael Clifford

Confused by the Guerin and O’Higgins reports? Here we explain what they are, why they were set up, and what they found

The O’Higgins report says any disciplinary proceedings against gardaí, which might conceivably arise out of his investigation, ‘would not be helpful’, writes Cormac O’Keeffe

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has denied the Government tried to bury the O’Higgins report to limit its political damage, despite publishing it on the same day as the programme for government and as she left the country.

Sergeant Maurice McCabe’s complaints about Garda failures and malpractice centred on a number of key incidents of criminal investigations in the Cavan-Monaghan division, where injured parties were badly let down and where he felt his attempts to draw the attention of senior officers to the problems were not properly addressed.

Pressure is increasing for the full publication of the O’Higgins report following the broadcast of elements of the report on RTÉ yesterday.