Garda scandal - Whistleblower did a real public service

Leaking confidential information can be highly dangerous. Of course, this may depend on the motive of the individual leaking the information. If it is to expose official wrongdoing, it can serve a very useful purpose.

A scandal is brewing over reports some high-profile people had penalty points for road traffic offences dropped. In a republic, everybody is supposed to be equal before the law, but there were allegations that some people were being favoured in such matters.

A Garda report published in May dismissed many of the allegations and suggested that the cancellation of points was a relatively minor issue. Last month, the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) disclosed that the culture of erasing penalty points was more widespread than had been predicted, but his alarming report attracted little attention.