Media reading of bugging report ‘peddles a myth’

Independent TD Clare Daly said that "very defined viewpoints" were taken on the Cooke Report into allegations of bugging at the Garda Ombudsman’s office "to peddle a myth".

Ms Daly strongly criticised some media outlets for reporting on just one finding o the 65-page report — that there was no evidence of bugging — hours before it was published.

“The report found it could not exclude the possibility that some form of illicit eavesdropping may have taken place, which is obviously a very different headline,” she said.

Speaking during a two- hour Dáil debate on the report yesterday, she criticised the poor showing from TDs and the fact that there had been little analysis of its findings. “There has been no media interest and today we discuss it on a Thursday afternoon with only a handful of deputies present,” she said.

Sinn Féin’s justice spokesman Padraig Mac Lochlainn said that while opposition TDs took time to read the report before commenting on its findings, the report was published at 8:45pm last Tuesday, others drew conclusions much more quickly.

“Essentially, the message was that there was nothing to see and it was time to move on,” said Mr Mac Lochlainn.

“I am still not convinced there is nothing to see. When I read through the entire report, a number of issues gave rise to concern.”

He said retired judge John Cooke “acknowledged in conclusion 16 that there may be a need for further investigation but he does not recommend it”.

The Government was also urged to give more details of an approach made to Taoiseach Enda Kenny which was described as an attempt to place a “mole” on the inquiry team.

Fianna Fáil’s justice spokesman, Niall Collins, said that the “most disturbing aspect of the report” was its reference to “the involvement of the Department of the Taoiseach in seeking to meddle in the inquiry”.

Judge Cooke, found that an “unsolicited offer” had been made to the Department of the Taoiseach of assistance from an individual who had 20 years in the Defence Forces.

The offer was forwarded onto the inquiry team but not accepted.

The report also contained details of phone conversations between an individual who phoned a member of the security company, Verrimus, involved in a sweep of GSOC’s headquarters. The man said the judge wasn’t a “technical man” and, in an apparent reference to the defence forces, that “the boys in green are trying to get a man in there”.

Mr Collins told the Dáil that “questions remain about the role of the Taoiseach and the former Minister for Justice in any alleged attempt to place a mole on the inquiry team”.

The Justice Minister, Frances Fitzgerald, defended her predecessor, Alan Shatter, saying that the Cooke Report’s findings were “ad idem” [the same thing] with his statements in the Dáil at the time the bugging allegations first came into the public domain.