Further revelations will add to GSOC crisis
The expected revelations — flagged by Ombudsman boss Simon O’Brien — will fuel the “crisis” between the watchdog and An Garda Síochána, and will further embroil the Government.
The commission is also under attack from some quarters for investigating itself. An internal inquiry is probing which of its senior staff — said to number “less than seven” — leaked a report to The Sunday Times.
This report — conducted by British security experts — identified three technical “anomalies” in GSOC offices which gave agency bosses grounds for suspicion it was under surveillance.
Mr Callinan is expected to respond in strong terms today to comments by GSOC bosses at the Oireachtas Public Service Oversight Committee on Wednesday.
“He will clearly and unequivocally state that no member, or former member, of An Garda Síochána indulged in such activity,” said a source. “They did not, would not, have not.”
Mr O’Brien revealed to the committee that an inquiry was set up to establish if the suspected surveillance at GSOC originated within An Garda Síochána or involved a member of the force.
Fellow commissioner Kieran Fitzgerald said they could not “exonerate” gardaí of possibly being behind any surveillance, saying the investigation had concluded there was no “evidence” pointing to them.
The senior garda source said: “What critique was used as a benchmark to launch this investigation?
“There wasn’t sufficient basis. But gardaí are being dragged through the mud here, without a scintilla of evidence.”
The commissioner has already expressed his “grave concern” that a previous statement by GSOC indicated the force “was in some way suspected of complicity.” He demanded to know the basis for that.
The fractious relationship between the two agencies is set to worsen this weekend with The Sunday Times expected to publish further details from the secret report. “I suspect I will have a very early Sunday morning,” Mr O’Brien told the committee. He referred to there being potential “banana skins” in what would come out.
He said the report made “references to reasons for the security sweep that do not accord with my recollection of those reasons.”
Mr O’Brien said he met Justice Minister Alan Shatter and Mr Callinan and was “fully open” with them on these details. He said he told them “there was potential for more criticism and press media coverage”.
He said an internal investigation was under way to establish who leaked the report. He said “less than seven” people, including himself, had access to it.
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