McDowell has undermined integrity of his office

THE notion that the Justice Minister would send a text message to a journalist, requesting direct contact, is seriously disconcerting.

That the minister would then request information which was legally prohibited from publication is positively alarming.

That the minister would subsequently emphasise that the information in his possession had been garnered from a variety of sources is appalling.

Here we have the Justice Minister soliciting and receiving confidential information which was meant to be private to an institution of the State.

By his actions, Michael McDowell has single-handedly undermined the proper functioning of the Mahon Tribunal and the integrity of the office of the Justice Minister.

This is an ironic achievement by someone who prided himself on tackling the subversives who previously threatened this State.

In the circumstances which arose, the minister should have immediately alerted gardaí to the situation and handed over the names of all his sources to assist gardaí with their enquiries.

If he had difficulty in contacting the gardaí, the minister could always have made a mobile phone call to one of his prisoners in Portlaoise Prison and asked him to pass the information to the authorities.

Of course, the republican subversives have since handed in their weapons. Perhaps the minister might consider handing in his mobile phone.

Barry O’Brien

Hilltop House

Windgate Rd

Howth

Co Dublin