Morris tribunal denies secret report for minister

The Morris Tribunal today denied media speculation that it had sent any secret report on its work to the Minister for Justice.

The inquiry into garda corruption in Co Donegal said it had only issued two reports to date and both were fully published.

Registrar Brendan O’Donnell said in a statement posted on the Tribunal’s website today: “It has come to the attention of the Tribunal that a number of media sources have speculated as to whether the Tribunal has made a secret report of some matter to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

“The Tribunal has issued two reports: on Explosives Finds in 2004 and on the Barron Death Investigation in 2005. There are no other reports,” it added.

Mr O’Donnell said that under section 3 of the Tribunals of Enquiry (Evidence) (Amendment) Act, 2002, the Tribunal is required to issue any report to the person to whom it is required to report under the Terms of Reference.

“No Tribunal can secretly issue a report,” he added.

Mr O’Donnell said that people can apply to the High Court to seek to limit the publication of any report, but no such application had ever taken place.

“In respect of the work of this Tribunal, there has been no such application. All reports were issued in full,” he added.

The Tribunal today resumed after its summer recess and began public hearings on the ‘Silver Bullet’ module.

This concerns claims that suspended Det Sgt John White told a local man to fabricate a story that two men called at his door and threatened him with a silver bullet if he gave evidence against the McBrearty family, who are at the centre of the Tribunal.