McCabe probe ‘will cost an extra €1m’

-GSOC needs funds for ‘extensive’ investigation into complaints

The Garda Ombudsman has told the Department of Justice it cannot undertake the “extensive” investigation into Sergeant Maurice McCabe’s penalty point complaints without an additional €1m in funding.

It is seven months since former justice minister Alan Shatter requested the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission to investigate all allegations over the cancellation of fixed-charge notices.

GSOC has told the department that €1m was needed to take on contract staff to help in the investigation into the complaints from the whistleblower.

The ombudsman has only been in a position to carry out a “scoping exercise” into the estimated scale of the investigation. It put forward a “business case” based on that to the department on May 1.

It has also emerged that GSOC is now taking complaints from members of the force, bringing to an end the controversial confidential recipient system.

The Irish Examiner has also established that GSOC has finally gained direct access to the Garda Pulse system. Last February, Mr Shatter said the watchdog would be given such access.

In a briefing document submitted in May to Frances Fitzgerald as she took over from Mr Shatter as justice minister, one of the “key issues” highlighted was the ombudsman’s request.

“GSOC have asked for an additional €1m to take on contract staff to help investigate Sergeant McCabe’s fixed-charge notice allegations,” the document reported.

“They are clear that they could not handle such an extensive investigation without additional resources [or without neglecting their own work]. There is also likely to be an increase in referrals of cases to them more generally, and this will also have resource implications.”

A GSOC spokeswoman yesterday said it made their request as part of a business case submitted to the department on May 1.

A spokesman for the Department of Justice said yesterday: “Discussions between the department, the Ombudsman Commission, and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to the request are ongoing.”

The GSOC spokeswoman said that, in relation to access to Pulse, it had two terminals in its offices and that “as of this week”, it had a “live connection” to the Pulse system.

It is understood there have been a few technical issues but these have been speedily addressed by gardaí.

Under data protection laws, the ombudsman can only access the system when there is a real investigative need, meaning problems may only arise as the ombudsman uses it.