Senior garda accused of abuse of office

A senior officer in An Garda Síochána is under investigation for suspected abuse of public office through involvement in an alleged malicious suspension of a member of the force.

The senior officer is being investigated by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission on foot of a complaint from the member who was suspended.

After an initial assessment of the complaint, GSOC considered last month that there was sufficient prima facia evidence to proceed with a criminal investigation.

Drew Harris was informed of probe before Christmas.

Garda commissioner Drew Harris was informed by GSOC in the week before Christmas that one of his senior officers was to be investigated.

Any allegation of abuse of public office remains unproven as of now and it is unclear how long the investigation will take before a decision is made to proceed to prosecution or not.

The member who was suspended was involved in an incident in a hotel in 2017. Two civilians claimed that he had assaulted them but he said that he had been the victim of the altercation.

CCTV footage in the hotel captured the whole incident and it is understood that the footage was highly favourable to the garda’s version.

Despite this, he was suspended and informed that he would be subjected to a disciplinary process that could lead to his dismissal.

The member claims that the actions of Garda management in this respect were motivated by the fact that he had a long- running dispute with management over bullying and associated complaints he had made.

His initial complaint was against a sergeant with whom other members had expressed interpersonal difficulties, but few had ever formally complained about.

Another complaint was directed against a figure in the force at superintendent level whom the member claimed was biased in the sergeant’s favour. This officer is not the senior officer now being investigated by GSOC.

The hotel incident was investigated and the ultimate outcome was that there was no prosecution against the garda member, while the two civilians were charged with assault. Their case is due in court this year.

The garda was suspended for two months until the DPP decision that there was to be no prosecution against him. The disciplinary process was not followed through. He claims that the severe reaction to what turned out to be a groundless allegation of assault against him was due to the complaints he had made.

Apart from the suspension, the garda has alleged that senior officers were involved in actively blocking his career path after he made the complaints. It is unclear whether this aspect of the case will form any part of the GSOC investigation into the senior officer.

His bullying complaint originated in 2012 but only came to a final outcome in 2018 when some of his complaints were upheld and others not.

Soon after making his original complaint, he took part in a mediation process which he claimed was unfair and which he secretly recorded.

He subsequently produced the recording and a transcript which he claims records a threat against him by a senior officer.

The officer denies making the threat but the veracity of the recording has not been disputed.

The senior officer now being investigated was not involved in this phase of the member’s complaints.

Last night, it emerged that the senior officer under investigation had been suspended.