State to spend €1m protecting whistle-blowers
An Garda Siochána launched a review of the Witness Security Programme, as it is formally known, in 2003 following scathing criticism by the Court of Criminal Appeal.
The review has yet to be completed. However, in a written response to a parliamentary question tabled by Fianna Fáil TD John Curran, Justice Minister Michael McDowell said €1.132m had been allocated for the scheme this year.
The programme remains “fully operational”, the Department of Justice said yesterday, adding it had “not sought to restructure or end” it.
Established in 1997 as part of the response to organised crime in the wake of the Veronica Guerin murder the previous year, the programme has generated significant controversy.
The first individual placed on the programme was Charles Bowden, an accomplice of crime boss John Gilligan, who turned “supergrass” and provided evidence in the Special Criminal Court trials of Gilligan and three of his gang, Patrick Holland, Paul Ward and Brian Meehan.
Bowden was followed on to the programme by two more Gilligan associates, John Dunne and Russell Warren, who gave evidence against gang members.
In August 2003, the Court of Criminal Appeal rejected Gilligan’s appeal against his 28-year conviction for drugs offences, a conviction largely based on evidence from Bowden, Dunne and Warren.
However, the court was scathing in its criticism of the witness protection programme, under which the trio were freed from prison and given new identities.
The court rejected claims the witnesses had effectively been bought, but said the scheme had been “badly thought out” and “almost developed a life of its own” as there had been no guidelines for its implementation.
The programme review began in the wake of that judgment. “The review is ongoing,” the department said yesterday.
It added that the review includes “consideration of the relevant judgment of the Court of Criminal Appeal; the measures to support witnesses in court cases who may not wish to enter the programme; and current best practice from an international perspective”.
The programme operates under the direct control and administration of the Garda Commissioner.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
