Whistleblowers not interviewed

Regarding the ‘so-called’ Garda whistleblower saga, and putting politics aside, it was with astonishment that I watched Garda Assistant Commissioner John O’Mahoney, the officer who was tasked by Commissioner Martin Callinan to investigate the complaint made to the confidential recipient in April 2012, say to the Public Account’s Committee on January 23 that he did not feel that it was necessary to interview either of the members, because the complaint was ‘anonymous’.

Had he done so, much grief and hurt would have been avoided. As the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, John McGuinness TD, sensibly asked “could not someone have picked up the phone and asked these people what was their complaint”? Interestingly, Commissioner Callinan, on the same day, said that he was “disgusted” with the behaviour of those members. Perhaps this ‘disgust’ was also the attitude adopted by Assistant Commissioner O’Mahony when he set out to investigate matters? If so, then it’s no surprise that the whistleblowers had been forced to bring the matter to the attention of the Taoiseach by the following November, when no approach whatsoever was made by Assistant Commissioner O’Mahoney, or any member of his investigation team. Either way, its eminently clear, by now, that a grudge in some shape or form was harboured against these two whistleblowers.

A phone call, as suggested by Mr McGuinness, might well have sorted out at least some of the issues.

Had the whistleblowers told the Assistant Commissioner that they did not wish to speak to him, then that would have been that.

It’s ironic that confidential recipient Oliver Connolly’s head has rolled, when, according to the whistleblowers, he acted with the best of intentions towards them, in contrast to others, who, on the face of the facts, to date, seem not to have covered themselves in glory, either professionally or otherwise.

Kevin McCarthy

Gouldavoher

Limerick