Charleton tribunal hears draft letter on legal stretegy was written by Justice Department official

A draft letter from the Garda Commissioner to the Department of Justice about the legal strategy pursued by the commissioner at the O'Higgins inquiry was written by a Department official, the Charleton tribunal has heard.

The draft letter, which set out reasons why legal instructions and advice could not be published to preserve lawyer-client confidentiality, was apparently drafted in May 2016 by assistant secretary Ken O'Leary, Mr Justice Peter Charleton said today.