THERE is clearly a need for a Centre for Public Inquiry, but whether it is the current self-appointed body is seriously open to question.

MR JUSTICE FLOOD was not just “expressing an opinion.” He was emphasising a core principle of justice that any person must be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

THE controversy concerning the Centre for Public Inquiry is cast as a tussle about the respective bona fides of Frank Connolly and Michael McDowell.

TÁNAISTE Mary Harney yesterday accepted that Justice Minister Michael McDowell would be in a difficult position if his allegations about Frank Connolly were unfounded.

LIKE myself and the wider world, you may have been under the illusion that this country was democratically run by the Government on a cabinet basis.

MICHAEL McDOWELL is Minister for Justice, not the minister of silly walks. Even the lowliest credit union must undergo strict audits and be licensed to operate as a public service.

FRANK CONNOLLY should sue if he feels he was defamed by the Government, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern suggested yesterday.

I LEAVE to others the argument over the propriety and constitutionality of Mr McDowell's action in handing part of a confidential garda file to his drinking buddy Sam Smyth and in making allegations against Mr Connolly behind the shield of Dáil privilege.

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties is calling on the Taoiseach to order an independent inquiry into Michael McDowell's actions in the Frank Connolly controversy.

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has mounted a further defence of Justice Minister Michael McDowell over his controversial remarks about Frank Connolly.

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, is expected to come under pressure in the Dáil today over Justice Minister Michael McDowell's controversial accusations against Frank Connolly.

I FIND it deeply disturbing that a Government minister, particularly a minister for justice, can use his power and the Dáil to bring down an organisation he does not like.

THE controversy surrounding Justice Minister Michael McDowell’s allegation that Frank Connolly visited Colombia on a false passport has been given a new and significant perspective by pointed criticism of the minister from a former High Court judge.

JUSTICE Minister Michael McDowell got Government backing for a campaign to have Frank Connolly sacked as executive director of the Centre for Public Inquiry (CPI).

DEMOCRACY and a legal right to due process under the courts has been trampled recently. Ironically, it was done by the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, who is meant to be the guardian of legal justice for all in Ireland.

REMEMBER ‘A Few Good Men,’ starring Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise?

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern yesterday insisted there was no Government campaign to bring down the Centre for Public Inquiry (CPI), the independent investigative body led by Frank Connolly.

The Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, has told the Dáil that the visit of the so called Colombia three to South America was to acquire tens of millions of euro.

The Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, has rejected claims that he breached the constitutional rights of former journalist Frank Connolly, who heads the Centre for Public Inquiry.

The Centre for Public Inquiry has the capacity to undermine the authority of the state if it falls into subversive hands, Minister for Justice Michael McDowell warned TDs in the Dáil today.

Minister for Justice Michael McDowell acted properly at all times in relation to his allegations that journalist Frank Connolly travelled to Colombia on a false passport in 2001, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said today.

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has refused to answer Dáil questions on whether the Centre for Public Inquiry posed a threat to the State.

The chairman of the Centre for Public Inquiry (CPI) backed its executive director Frank Connolly today.

Minister for Justice Michael McDowell is set to come under further pressure in the Dáil today over his controversial accusations against journalist Frank Connolly.

FAR-REACHING implications flow from the revelation that Justice Minister Michael McDowell passed confidential documents to a newspaper for its story on allegations that journalist Frank Connolly applied for a false passport.

JUSTICE Minister Michael McDowell was under mounting pressure last night after he admitted leaking documentation from a garda file on Frank Connolly to a national newspaper.

The following is an extract from an interview given by Justice Minister Michael McDowell on yesterday’s News at One programme on RTÉ.

Despite the minister’s claims, Frank Connolly will not be prosecuted, writes Paul O’Brien.

Minister for Justice Michael McDowell today said he stands by allegations linking journalist Frank Connolly to an alleged IRA plot to sell bomb making skills to Colombian guerrillas.

An Independent TD today called on Justice Minister Michael McDowell to resign after he linked journalist Frank Connolly to an alleged IRA plot to sell terrorist know-how to Colombian guerillas.

JUSTICE Minister Michael McDowell insisted yesterday he was protecting the security of the State by claiming journalist Frank Connolly travelled to Colombia on a false passport.

The Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has defended the claims he made linking journalist Frank Connolly to an 'IRA plot'.

Campaigners battling to stop the Corrib gas pipeline in Mayo today claimed an independent review of the project had come up with a fairytale solution to real life problems.

Consultants assessing the risks of the controversial Corrib gas project in Mayo have called for pressure in the onshore section of the pipe to be restricted, it emerged today.

The Centre for Public Inquiry (CPI) is facing closure today after having its funding withdrawn due to controversy surrounding its executive director.

JUSTICE Minister Michael McDowell has helped torpedo an independent watchdog set up to scrutinise the activities of politicians and big business.

Backers of the Centre for Public Inquiry, which is headed by journalist Frank Connolly, today revealed they would no longer fund the body.

The director of the Centre for Public Inquiry today accused Minister for Justice Michael McDowell of joining a witch hunt against him, over claims he was connected to an IRA plot to sell information to Farc guerillas.

The Irish Justice Minister has abused parliamentary privilege by repeating unfounded allegations in the Dáil, Sinn Féin claimed today.

The Shell to Sea group campaigning against the controversial Corrib gas pipeline in Co Mayo has reiterated its call for the project to be abandoned.

AN BÓRD PLEANÁLA yesterday denied it had compromised its independence by meeting with members of the Corrib gas consortium before the controversial project was given final planning approval.

AN BORD Pleanála was not subjected to any external pressure in relation to the €900 million Corrib Gas project, the head of the authority said yesterday.

AFTER languishing in jail for 94 days in defiance of the forces of the giant Shell oil company and the State, the Rossport Five will take heart from an independent report which appears to vindicate their stance.

THE controversial Corrib gas pipeline was promised a fast-track path through the planning process, documents reveal.