Garda’s attendance at Ahern fundraiser queried

THE Labour Party last night said it was surprised that the Garda Commissioner concluded that that a senior officer who attended a fundraising function for Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s St Luke’s operation wasn’t identifying himself publicly with Fianna Fáil.

Assistant Commissioner Martin Donnellan attended the annual fundraiser for Mr Ahern’s O’Donovan Rossa Cumann in Clontarf Castle Hotel on December 1 last. A report in a newspaper the following Sunday listed a name of prominent supporters and friends of Mr Ahern who were present, and also noted that Mr Donnellan had attended.

Arising from the report, a parliamentary question was tabled by Cork South Central Deputy Ciarán Lynch to Justice Minister Brian Lenihan referring to the fundraising event and asking him to outline the regulations governing the involvement of members of An Garda Síochána in party political matters.

In his reply, Mr Lenihan informed Mr Lynch that under Garda disciplinary regulations, a member was prohibited, among other things, from “identifying himself or herself actively or publicly with a political party”.

However, Mr Lenihan’s response also stated that Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy had concluded that the circumstances of the officer’s attendance at this social event with friends did not constitute a breach of the discipline regulations.

“The officer was a passive attendee in a social context and took no part in political matters. The officer has not engaged in any prohibited activity which would interfere with the discharge of his duties or which would give apprehension in relation to his impartiality in the discharge of his duties,” said the commissioner.

Yesterday the Labour TD queried the response.

“I believe that this is a seriously mistaken view on the part of both the minister and the commissioner,” said Mr Lynch.

“It is impossible to understand how attendance at a fundraising function for the leader of a political party, whether as a guest or with an appropriate financial contribution made by or on behalf of the officer concerned, could not be regarded as identifying himself publicly with a political party.”

A spokesman for the minister said last night that interpretation of the Garda disciplinary regulations was a matter for the commissioner and was not a function for Mr Lenihan.

The Irish Examiner submitted questions to the Garda Press Office yesterday asking for clarity, inter alia, on what was meant by “passive attendee” and whether or not any contribution was made by Mr Donnellan, or made on his behalf at the function.

The Garda Press Office had not responded to the questions by deadline time last night.