Interim Garda chief faces second grilling over penalty points allegations

Interim Garda Commissioner Noirín O’Sullivan is likely to face a second grilling before the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee over new penalty points claims.

The Government is about to establish the commission of investigation into separate allegations of Garda misconduct at Bailieborough station, examined in the Guerin report.

The Irish Examiner understands the Government will name the senior legal figure to conduct the statutory inquiry in the coming days.

The move follows strong criticism of the Guerin report by the Garda Representative Association, which claimed it had taken Sgt Maurice McCabe’s allegations as fact and had “unfairly tarnished” junior gardaí in the Cavan district.

This investigation will run in parallel to the second set of penalty point allegations by Sgt McCabe, which are being examined by an internal Garda audit.

The PAC is expected to receive a report on the Garda audit as early as three weeks’ time, but Garda sources indicated it could take longer.

PAC chairman John McGuinness welcomed signs it would get the report. He said it was “more than likely” the interim commissioner would be invited to attend the committee to be questioned about it. Ms O’Sullivan attended the committee last July and was questioned at length.

Sgt McCabe brought fresh claims regarding penalty points to her two weeks ago. She referred it to Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald recommending an investigation by the Garda ombudsman, which the minister ordered. Mr McGuinness said the approach of Ms O’Sullivan was “different” than the last commissioner and commended the way she was dealing with Sgt McCabe.

The committee has already conducted extensive hearings — including a lengthy private session with Sgt McCabe — in relation to his first set of claims.

Mr McGuinness said he hoped to send the PAC report to Ms Fitzgerald by as early as mid-October. He said he was very concerned at the scale and nature of the new allegations. “I’m told it’s serious, pretty widespread, that other gardaí brought it to the attention of Maurice McCabe,” he said. “They came to him, said this is going on, and this is the evidence. It seems to be back to business as usual regarding gardaí quashing penalty points and what seems to be pretty sinister is the new excuses and that they are going under the radar.”

He said the committee might consider calling in gardaí who operate the penalty points central processing unit in Thurles.

A Garda spokesman said they would engage with the PAC when the audit was done.