Gardaí examine complaint about Leo Varadkar's leaking of GP document
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar apologised for his actions in the Dáil in November. File Picture: Julien Behal
Gardaí are examining an official complaint lodged about the leaking of a GP contract by then-taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
A statement to the Irish Examiner confirmed: "An Garda Síochána has received correspondence which is currently being assessed to determine what if any Garda action is required.
"An Garda Síochána has no further comment at this time."
It's believed the complaint about Mr Varadkar was made before Christmas and interviews have been carried out to assess its validity.
A spokesman for the Tánaiste said Mr Varadkar had not been contacted by gardaí and his office was not aware of any investigation.
Mr Varadkar admitted last year that he posted a copy of a contract negotiated between the then government and the Irish Medical Organisation to rival GP group, the National Association of General Practitioners, headed by his friend Maitiú Ó Tuathail.
Mr Varadkar apologised for his actions in the Dáil in November after he was accused of breaching the Official Secrets Act and breaking the law, stating at the time that "sharing" the document was "not best practice".
"There was nothing selfish, corrupt, dishonest or illegal in what I did," he said.
Correspondence released this week by Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty, under Freedom of Information, shows that then-health minister Simon Harris, who was responsible for the negotiations, was unable to obtain the document at the time due to its sensitivity.
In response, Mr Varadkar said the document shared with Dr Ó Tuathail was an earlier version of the agreement that had been publicly referenced and not the updated copy that Mr Harris was seeking at a later date.
