Gardaí to probe leaking of bank inquiry evidence

Gardaí are set to investigate the high-profile leaking of detailed bank inquiry evidence from former Department of Finance secretary general Kevin Cardiff in a move which could potentially see the person responsible fined €500,000 or jailed for a maximum of five years.

The cross-party Oireachtas group asked officers to find out what happened after agreeing to the decision at its weekly private meeting yesterday. The revelation came as the inquiry decided it will not ask Denis O’Brien to attend as a witness. The decision, which was objected to by Fianna Fáil finance spokesman Micheal McGrath, was based on legal advice linked to the commission of investigation into IBRC.

Over the weekend, 380 pages of evidence from Mr Cardiff — who was involved in discussions on the night of the September 29 bank guarantee — were leaked to the Sunday Business Post.