Solicitor Gerald Kean tells Disclosures Tribunal he did not feel he was 'mouthpiece' for ex-Garda Commissioner

Solicitor Gerald Kean says he did not think he was a mouthpiece for former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan at the time he appeared on the Marian Finucane show in January 2014.

Mr Kean says he spoke to Mr Callinan on the phone around four times on the day before appearing on the radio programme.

The well-known lawyer spoke in defence of the then Garda commissioner the week of his appearance before the Public Accounts Committee to speak about the quashing of penalty points.

Mr Kean has told the Disclosures Tribunal that he was representing his own views on the programme, but that he was very much relying on information given to him by the Commissioner.

Mr Kean said, mistakenly or otherwise, he believed Commissioner Callinan was beyond reproach and he thought he was getting the truth from him when he said Maurice McCabe was difficult and had breached data protection laws.