Queries for Kenny on role in Callinan’s departure

The Taoiseach is to come under sustained pressure in the Dáil this week to explain his role in the resignation of Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan after associates of the former police boss claimed he was shafted for political reasons.

Fianna Fáil plans to use a debate on a motion of no-confidence in Justice Minister Alan Shatter to expose the gaps in Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s explanation of why he sent a top official from the Department of Justice to Mr Callinan’s home last Monday night.

The Labour Party said it has “no reason to doubt” the Taoiseach’s version of events or the statement issued by Mr Callinan on Tuesday morning in which he said he was retiring.

However, the party has indicated that any further revelations which would cast doubt over the account given on the issue of phone recordings at Garda stations could spell trouble for Mr Shatter.

Asked on RTE’s The Week in Politics yesterday if further revelations would put into question Mr Shatter’s position, the communications minister, Labour’s Pat Rabbitte, did not rule it out.

“It would depend on what the issue is,” he said, but added that “nobody with a brain in their head would answer a hypothetical question like that”.

Fianna Fáil’s no-confidence motion in Mr Shatter will be debated in the Dáil on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The party’s justice spokesman, Niall Collins, said the public is concerned that the Garda commissioner was forced to resign when he was dealing with the fallout of the tape recordings in the proper way.

“If you look at the pattern of events, going back to November, the Garda commissioner was taking all the appropriate steps to deal with this in a constructive manner,” said Mr Collins.

“Yet when the Government were in the dock on a whole range of other serious issues, the Garda commission got a call and was effectively forced to resign.”

This happened as it emerged that some of the key tapes involve conversations between gardaí and two witnesses who had been pressured to give evidence against Ian Bailey during the investigation into the death of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in 1996.

One of the witnesses, Martin Graham, previously told Mr Bailey he had been offered cash, clothes, and drugs to give evidence. This claim was detailed in a 2001 report by the Officer of the Director of Public Prosecutions which recommended no charges be brought against Mr Bailey and criticised the Garda handling of the witness.

The second witness, Marie Farrell, previously claimed that she was threatened with arrest if she did not give evidence against Mr Bailey.