Whistleblowers: Micheál Martin calls for answers over death of mum
Mr Martin also said Alan Shatter did not have the humility to say sorry to a garda whistleblower over comments he made in the Dáil in October, that Sergeant Maurice McCabe had not co-operated with an internal Garda penalty points inquiry.
During a heated debate in the Dáil, Mr Shatter was asked about his handling of Sgt McCabe’s claims of garda malpractice and corruption.
The Coalition this week ordered a barrister-led review into the handling of the allegations.
Mr Martin claimed there was no reason to believe Mr Shatter had given the chamber a “full and balanced picture” of his department’s files.
He added: “There is substantive evidence that there is an ongoing and profound problem in how allegations of improper behaviour in the Garda are handled. A culture of deep suspicion has developed, meaning that the relationships between the minister, Garda Commissioner, Office of the Confidential Recipient, and Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission are at best dysfunctional and at worst actively subverting the goal of dealing with allegations of improper behaviour.”
Mr Martin argued that Mr Shatter did not take on board criticism and when challenged, “is sometimes snide, frequently partisan, and always dismissive”.
Mr Martin even went as far as suggesting that Mr Shatter “would lay down his friends”, having sacked Oliver Connolly, the Garda confidential recipient, this month.
Mr Martin described as a “smokescreen” Mr Shatter’s revelation that one of his predecessors had also received concerns from Sgt McCabe. He said the fact Dermot Ahern had received information about alleged garda malpractice was a “distraction” and that the former justice minister had not received the full whistleblower dossier, unlike Mr Shatter.
He asked whether “failings ultimately led to the murder of mum-of-two Sylvia Roche Kenny” in Limerick in 2007.
“Perhaps that murder could have been prevented,” he said.
