Presidential aide fails to have disciplinary probe halted

A trusted aide of President Mary McAleese who claims she is facing a bogus civil service inquiry into her conduct today lost a High Court bid to have the probe halted.

Bridget Conway, a long-serving protocol officer at Aras an Uachtaran, alleged her close working relationship with the President had left her frozen out of her job.

Miss Conway claimed the investigations were triggered by a hug she shared with the President after funerals of victims of the Omagh bomb in 1998.

But in the High Court in Dublin today, Mr Justice Kevin Feeney said the civil service inquiry had followed all fair procedures to date.

Dismissing Miss Conway’s application for an injunction to stop the probe, the judge said it would not be fair for the court to intervene.

“I am of the view that this process is premature and that it would neither be correct nor appropriate for the court to intervene in injuncting the process,” he said.

The judge told the court the disciplinary process was following well recognised, established and agreed code.

And he insisted it would be wrong for the court to usurp the functions of the inquiry.