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Updated 5.30pm
JUSTICE MINISTER ALAN Shatter has met with members of the Garda Ombudsman Commission, as his Cabinet colleague Eamon Gilmore said earlier that details emerging of phone bugging at the police watchdog are “quite sinister”.
The meeting took place at the Department of Justice this afternoon to discuss claims that GSOC’s Dublin headquarters were bugged last year.
A statement from the Garda Ombudsman is expected later this evening.
The Sunday Times reported yesterday that a surveillance operation was used to hack into emails, wi-fi and phone systems at the Abbey Street building. It’s also claimed a speaker phone in a conference room was bugged.
Speaking to RTÉ this afternoon, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said it is “very important” that details of what happened “be made available to the Minister for public analysis and for reporting to Cabinet tomorrow.
“It is important that we should understand on what grounds suspicions were determined in the first instance, who determined those suspicions, did the board discuss this and make arrangements for a company to assess whether or not interference in the communications system was had,” he said.
Kenny also pointed out that under the Garda Siochana Act the Ombudsman is required to “report unusual matters of exception importance” to the Minister for Justice.
Shatter was said to be seeking a “full report” on what happened at the meeting earlier.
GSOC was expected to be asked to explain its decision to hire UK security company Verrimus to investigate if it had been placed under surveillance.
Commission members was also set to be asked why the Minister was not informed of the move, and why no complaint was made to gardaí at the time.
“I understand that Minister Shatter is going to brief us tomorrow on what is emerging on that,” Gilmore told reporters as he arrived for a meeting in Brussels.
“We’re seeing a lot of stories now about telephone conversations being bugged, and offices being bugged.
“I think we are going to have to deal with this. It’s unacceptable. It shouldn’t be happening, but I’d like to see what Minister Shatter has to tell us about it and what he knows about it.”
Cabinet members convene for their weekly meeting at Government Buildings tomorrow. No statement is expected from the Department until ministers have been briefed.
Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte was also asked about the issue this morning, and agreed that the story emerging seemed “somewhat sinister” given the “official role of the Garda Ombudsman in supervising and investigating the Garda Síochána”.
Rabbitte said he was “surprised by that” when asked to comment on the report that GSOC hadn’t previously reported the matter to the Minister, but stressed that it was important that they await Shatter’s briefing on the issue.
- additional reporting Hugh O’Connell
First published 1.43pm
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Garda ombudsman don’t trust anyone in Ireland that’s says a lot.
Why would they?
I’m dying to see how they plan on covering this up!
Stinks to high heaven
Could our Garda possibly be corrupt?
How could anyone trust the Garda Commissioner , where bugging is concerned, after his recent efforts in front of the PAC Committee , where he did everything to undermine his own Gardai’s credibility.
As for Shatter , Gilmore , Enda , Rabbitte – two of them – ( yet unnamed ! ) had a past with a Political Party , that had their own money printing machine in their basement ???
A third party will be blamed, the guards will do an investigation and that’s the end of that
Why did GSOC not tell anyone? It’s a cover up if they keep it to themselves.
Why did they not tell the Minister or the Government? What was their plan…just ignore it.
This stinks and I mean from GSOC’s side. The story was uncovered by the media, GSOC were keeping it under wraps….why?
Some head will role over this – will it be Garda Commissioner Callinan I wonder?
Shatter , will find somebody else to sacrifice, when he should go too !
If it was UK or USA , he would surely ?
You must be a Garda despicable you.
Who would want to bug the Garda ombudsman’s office?
Only the Garda!
If you tell everyone that you are going to start looking for bugs in your office then they could be very quickly taken away again and you find nothing. It seems like the right way to approach it to me
Is there an attempt being made to make the non reporting to the Minister the major problem
Don’t be surprised to find that the sacking of the Ombudsman is the next move
Maybe followed by a Review of the Office which will go on for a few years
Wouldn’t that be grand
John Smith…Who would want to bug GSOC’s office, Garda Yes, Media Yes, Criminals Yes.
Why must I be a Garda? Because I don’t agree with you? Because I don’t go jumping to conclusions without evidence? Because I want the truth and not speculation?
Who would they tell? surely not the guards? surely not the minister? The “crime” is the bugging, minister is only concerned with the fact he wasn’t told – big deal who’d trust him?
despicable you,
These were GOVERNMENT LEVEL bugs, they were planted by state agents, not criminals. Read the articles before commenting or stop bullshitting.
This was a garda operation, no amount of garda trolling can disguise that.
The GSOC sent out a message to the world that they do not trust the Gardai nor do they trust the Justice department, that’s some kick in the balls to the state.
This is why shatter is going mad.
That took balls, fair play to the GSOC.
Seriously, how do you know who planted bugs if any were planted at all and don’t tell me it’s obvious.
Government level bugs..what are they? Anyone can buy ‘bugs’ and surveillance equipment on the internet. Pay enough money and you’ll get any level of sophistication you want.
Irish Soviet…read the articles and believe? why..because media outlets never get it wrong or lie..your a sheep..I bet you believe 911 was a big conspiracy by the US Govt.
‘.I bet you believe 911 was a big conspiracy by the US Govt’
That has to be the most pathetic, saddest statement i’ve ever read on social media. This clown triess to turn treason into a personal battle with me.
You cannot buy Government level bugs on the internet, you absolute fcuking troll.
Are you looking for a promotion?
@Irish Soviet… I think you need to read the article again sir. There is no suggestion whatsoever that bugs were ‘planted’. It has clearly been stated that this alleged security breach was all conducted by an external source via the Internet/WiFi system and using a UK IP address as cover.
There are more parties than just the Gardaí that may wish to eavesdrop on the GSOC. The media, criminal organisations, dissident republican groups, another foreign nation perhaps. Not just the Gardaí.
Or this could simply be the case that the GSOC just installed a piss poor Internet system and did not take appropriate measures to protect their information allowing hackers to penetrate their systems. Maybe that’s an explanation for their attempts to hide the issue so as not to highlight their incompetence.
Maybe, maybe. Let’s allow the enquiry to take place first and foremost and then we can all judge based on the facts.
Irish soviet…”That has to be the most pathetic, saddest statement i’ve ever read on social media. This clown triess to turn treason into a personal battle with me.” and “you absolute fcuking troll”
Who is it that is trying to make this personal?
I wouldn’t waste your breath on Fox Mulder. Alls you’ll get from this tool is the speculation of a clown mixed with obscenities and abuse.
john,
lol, ‘The media, criminal organisations, dissident republican groups, another foreign nation perhaps’
no, just the corrupt gardai. The organizations that you mentioned couldn’t have access to government level bugs and as for your assertion that it was a foreing nation, that’s laughable, maybe it was jackistan.
lmfao
willie is looking for promotion.
lol lmfao………………ha ha ha ha
bring on the civil war.
As Comrade..you show your true colours now…will stop feeding you after this.
The media or the minister to name another two. Just to be subjective like….
What is a government level bug? Genuine question.
Certain types of surveillance equipment are only licenced to be sold to governments, or with their approval, to government agencies. I’m sure there’s ways other people can get their hands on these products, but it would not be easily achieved, it would be a criminal offence to be found in possession of such products, and they can certainly not be “bought on the internet” as has been implied by some people here. The equipment used on this surveillance op was such restricted equipment, which implies some form of state involvement (although could be any state) or highly qualified and well equipped private individuals.
@Irish Soviet… why is the suggestion of a foreign nation so entirely unbelievable. The GSOC have been involved in aspects of the Toscan Du Plantier case for some time now. A lot of French interest in same.
And Government level bugs. Give me a break will you. There have been teenagers who have broken into the FBI and CIA IT systems from their bedrooms with a little know how and a PC. If you think that strictly only Governments have the capability to hack an Internet system, you’re plain dillusional.
There are many persons/organisations that would like to have access to GSOC’s files…media included. Why didn’t GSOC report it immediately? Interesting to see how it all pans out….
So how did The Sunday Times ( a Murdoch publication) get the story? Surely not leaked by the GSOC.
You need to read that again, it clearly states a speakerphone inside the building was bugged and as was alluded to on the radio that requires access to a secure building. I can’t see G2 being involved, they’ve no quarrels with the Ombudsman. It’s possible the media could’ve paid someone to plant it but seems a very risky proposition for any media organisation if they got caught compared to the value of information they could gain. Criminals would surely have more interest in finding out what the gardai were planning. So until the culprit is found it is understandable that any reasonable person will pick the most logical suspect especially when it is an organisation found to have acted corruptly in the past by a number of Tribunals.
Irish Times “There was no physical bugging device in the phone, though a check on the line revealed it had been electronically monitored in a way that enabled a third party to listen in to conversations being conducted in the room and on the phone in question.”
@Richard.. You’re not correct. The reporting on this states it did not require access to the building. It was a networked device (conference speaker phone) which, like the computers and other networked devices, may have been accessed from outside the building by penetrating the Internet firewall and accessing the network.
Years back the cops – presumably senior management – were caught bugging garda stations around the country. The sooner we clean up the cops, the better for all of us.
Where they the crowd who robbed the northern bank or shot dead Garda Gerry Mc Cabe? No? People in glass houses ………
Shatter asks why didn’t they report this to the Guards?? Would that be like complaining about your wife to your mother in law?
I used to cry because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no class.
They just don’t trust the Guards or the Dept. of Justice to respect the law, respect democracy in the state or adhere to the law.
I’d say they trust the rest of us just fine.
Who went to the Sunday Times with the story ? were the Irish media not trusted ? Why ???
A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims…
Marcus Tullius Cicero
Just heard the interview with the head of the ombudsman commission. He said no evidence whatsoever of Garda wrong doing. Then apologised for they way they dealt with the matter.
Refreshing and at the same time has shown some of the idiots commenting on here for what they are, budding conspiracy theorists who’ll happily make up their own story in the absence of any evidence or fact.
Round up the usual dissidents ……. you cant make this up … bottom line is … if it looks like a duckand walks like a duck it is a fcuking duck!!!!!!
Or the press as they have done in England.
round up the usual suspects so …. bottom line is if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck it is a duck!!!!
Well said Willie but you know all those same idiots will now just revert to the line that this is a State cover up.
IT WASN’T THE GUARDS LADS, YOU CAN ALL TAKE IT BACK!!
I’d say they didn’t tell Shatter because Shatter would have been straight onto the Garda Commissioner to tip him off.
This stinks from every side.
Wow you couldn’t make this stuff up. The only organisation that would stand to benefit from bugging the Ombudsman is the Gardai themselves. Let distinguish between upper levels of Garda management who seem to be out of control and institutionally corrupt as opposed to the rank and file members who by and large do a good job.
But it makes me wonder if Garda management in the Phoenix Park ordered the Ombudsman to be bugged then what judge signed off on it and what reasons did the Phoenix Park inspectors give for proving to the judge that the Ombudsman is a threat to state security and therefore needs to be bugged ?
My guess is that they didn’t get a court order at all and that senior members of the Gardai are now in contravention of the Offences Against the State Act having broken the law by setting up illegal wire taps so they could find out what members of the public were complaining about them and what they were saying in confidence to the Ombudsman.
Commisioner Callinan needs to resign. This is the man who two weeks ago called the actions of a Garda whistleblower “disgusting” and now we find out that the Ombudsman who is in charge of investigating the penalty points scandal has their offices wire tapped.
Sorry but no, resignations will not suffice this time. Whoever did this, was in anyway involved in this, or had prior knowledge of this has committed treason and is an enemy of the people and of the state. If callinan, or indeed shatter, are found to have been in any way involved in this then a minimum tariff of 20 years should be imposed due to their seniority.
Probably didn’t tell Shatter because they knew he knew already.
FG takes Streamlining and control to the next level.
Wait for the press release… t’will be a good thing for the country.
The reason why Shatter or the top level Gardai were not told is crystal clear the ombudsman suspected them of being behind the bugging. Everybody is thinking this but no journalist has come out and said it yet, such is Shatters power in this country.
Asking ministers why no complaint was made to Gardai???? Eh, cause it was the… Ah never mind…
John..if you know who did this and have the proof please name the names..you don’t your speculating.
A quick recap.
1. This happened last year and we only know about it thanks to a foreign newspaper breaking the story.
2. Theres not a snowballs chance in hell that the Minister for Justice was not informed about it once the equipment was discovered.
Our state is rotten to the core.
I think shatter knew that the gsoc was bugged but he didn’t know that they were found.
I think the GSOC would win any inter company chess game.
The GSOC has shat on the guards, the justice dept and the state at the same time.
Check mate……………………….indeed.
Only people with reason to spy on garda ombudsman is the garda, unprofessional thugs!!!!!!!
@ jimmy.
I think calling all Gardai unprofessional thugs is a bit much. Yes, this stinks and I think a good bit more will come over the coming days. But this is coming from the upper echelon of the Gardai, not the everyday uniformed member you will see everyday. I would agree however, that the upper tier of the force could so with a few heads rolling to get the rest back on track.
That’s the problem with these cover ups that pervade Irish society though. Sinister this case most certainly is, but sinister things happen all the time. If the actual perpetrators are brought to justice for it, then their names will be blackened. By circling the wagons and protecting their own, it is the name of the gardai that is blackened.
Only two sources I can see who would have the access and means to do this are:
1. The Gardai
2. Someone (exceedingly crafty) in the media – although I think this one is kinda unlikely
The only people who really stand to gain from hearing about the internal discussions of the office of the Ombudsman are the Gardai.
Can’t wait to see how the commissioner handles this one.
Let the Spin – BEGIN!
Hmm interesting. I wonder who is behind this and for what reason? Though I would have thought Shatter would be better off calling in his mate the commissioner to investigate this. They seem to share secrets all the time….
Callinhan should have gone when Judge Smithwick found that a culture still exists within the force where “Loyalty is prized above honesty,”…he concludes that the Garda prioritises “the protection of the good name of the force over the protection of those who seek to tell the truth”.
“I have read those comments,” said Garda Commissioner Callinan.
“I have to say that the police force that is described is not the police force that I lead. Everything we do in An Garda Siochana is designed to establish the truth.” The Garda Commissioner – in all sincerity, honestly holding his views – publicly rejected the Judge’s conclusions. In his own words, he can’t even recognise the description of the culture Judge Smithwick discovered within the force.
Should of resigned there and then
Tbf to the Ombudsmen, Garda surveillance couldn’t have been discounted from a list of potential suspects. And by extension, though not directly, the minister…
The Gardaí are the first suspects and the only ones with motivation and capability.
Anyone else bugging the GSOC makes no sense.
The information is already in the public domain and if you are that interested readily researched.
There are no major secrets in the GSOC.
The only reason the GSOC couldn’t report surveillance to the Minister is because it felt the Minister is involved. To cover their own asses, they may have reported directly to the President. Time will tell.
Despite the state’s best attempts, the reporting of the surveillance isn’t going to be the story. The story is that senior members of the guards and/or the Minister were spying on the independent body set up to look at complaints against them.
This one’s going to run and run, me thinks; and will ruin what’s left of the force’s credibility.
The IRA will be blameed. Then the tables will turned on SF, state media and the newspapers will then in turn cover nothing but it and the geneeral public will then fall for it and the government will have delt with their main threat
Isn’t it very odd that government ministers are more anxious
about not been “told about the bugging” of the GSOC officies
rather than the fact that the GSOC officies are been bugged
in the first place. very odd that.
Why so ministers ?
Anybody remember GUBU from our recent history ?
Well, I imagine that the answers to Minister Shatter’s ‘burning questions’ are so obvious (and reasonable) as to make them not worth asking.
Such is the level of cynicism and mistrust about all National Agencies that only a verifiable independent person or organisation, preferably non Irish, carrying out an investigation will restore some level of confidence. It appears from what we know about the ‘bugging’ of the Ombudsman’s offices that trust has collapsed between his office, the Gardai and the Minister for Justice.
This allegation is perhaps even more serious than the infamous phone tapping that took place some years ago.
Gardagate
@irish soviet, you have been goin on and on bout the equipment that was used was government level and therefore it must be the gardai who were responsible.. will you please provide details/proof of how you know that government level tech was used.
Read the original Sunday times article it details it there.
I would agree that in Ireland, government level tech is equivalent to corner grocery tech in the Silicon Valley.
If you want to find the body conducting the surveillance, you need only look to motive, means and opportunity to discover who is behind it.
And when the government starts making noises about the press being behind it, or criminals, or other entities–well, that’s the first thing a bully does when caught–blame someone else.
Seamus the UK firm said government level tech. Can people read the original article
Ireland is one of the more tech savvy countries in the western world.
I have no doubt that the State’s surveillance technology is as good as any other European country.
This is a great story.
Who had the motive to conduct the surveillance?
Who had the means to conduct the surveillance?
Who had the opportunity to conduct the surveillance?
“Answer zeez questions, madame, and you will have your killer!”
-Hercule Poirot
Given that all the information that the GSOC have is broadly public the only unique piece is what they plan to do with it.
That is of benefit to only one body in Ireland. The leaking of this information as a tool to discredit the GSOC was only useful to one body in Ireland,
This country is gone insane , the gardai dont trust the gardai ,the politicians hire other people to make political decisions. The politicians appoint people to boards that need other specialists to do the job they’re apparently paid megabux to do…..THIS COUNTRY IS INSANE……
The public will never find out. It would not be good for us. So the Garda and the politicians think we couldn’t handle the truth, being fed lies for years we would not recognise the truth anymore.
I must say there are a lot of people jumping to conclusions. My initial thought was that the people with the most to gain from bugging the ombudsman would be the media. Just look at the amount of press coverage of the penalty points saga, getting insider knowledge or a scoop could potentially be worth a fortune to the media. Also look at the bugging scandal in the uk, all media perpetrated.
The outcry in the UK over hacking is a huge reason it’s unlikely to have been the media. They wouldn’t risk a crackdown here especially with the Blueshirts, who love censorship and control, in power.
@Eagle eye …….the government controls the media so why would Kenny want his media minions to spy on the Ombudsman and release their finding to the people……..The ombudsman is soon to be looking into the whistle blower debacle and the garda top brass want to know what an who they are investigating (I’d say)……..Republic me Ar$e.
Deleting comments, I’ll say it again, garda doing it as unprofessional thugs!!!!!!, FACT
There are at least three former members of SDU ( garda special branch ) currently employed at the GSOC in Mid abbey street . I have no doubt they felt a tad uncomfortable at the coffee break this morning .
The garda NSU are very well versed and trained in the art of covert insertion of buildings and vehicles. A select number of them have been formally trained in this area by the BSS in the South of England. Initial course is 4 weeks long followed by regular upskilling workshops .
Could it be a Mossad job?
Or maybe al qaeda
Or maybe just Al..?
couldn’t have been al, unless he did it from his couch, also, if he was tapping the phonelines how could he order pizza.
Al-Ikea-da….skeletons included!
But if GSOC we’re keeping this quiet how did it make it’s way to the Times crime correspondent? There’s a lot more to it…
I guess the GSOC leaked it to the Sunday Times.
They know that no Irish paper would publish such a major scandal and no Journalist would risk his job in asking to do so.
This way they can bring it to the public attention rather than going through the usual channels and being shot down. and blocked.
*were
So the main story on the 6 one news was the failure to report the bugging to the minister….the 2nd last fella you’d tell after the commissioner! and the the question of weather or not the UK security company had an import license for their equipment……..even by rte standards this is banana republic tv.
Not only that Garry but RTE never mentioned the bugging scandal until the 9 o clock news last night, what were they doing for over eight hours since the story broke yesterday morning. The papers had it sorted on Sat night. Then RTE ask no questions on the 9 news just read out statements from Shatter and the Taoiseach’s office. and the reporter says Shatter did not know about this either sis the government . Looks like they were unsure how the government wanted them to report it.
What RTE was doing for all those hours on one of the biggest stories since this government has taken office is another question that needs to be answered. Are they a news station or a department of the government.??
This is so appalling and a seriously big story. The GSOC decision to not inform the Minister – what does that say? Who is supposed investigate this, the guards?
If you discover a spy, you use the spy against its master and you let him continue to think he is still spying.
Seamus. Your comment poses an interesting question. What happened after the bug was discovered? Was it removed or left in place to feed false Intel to those listening? You could not write this stuff. Potentially the biggest scandal to threaten the security of the state and it’s the enemy within.
Shatter is in the Shitter, again!!!
The Journal loves polls. Why not do one on who might be responsible for the bugging? Could be very interesting, and revealing!
The gardai are fhools
So we are basing our opinions that government level technology was used (or any technology for that matter) on an article written in the Sunday times?????
No it is based on the findings of a Counter-Surveillance company that includes the UN as one of its clients. Professionals.
I’m pretty sure the security company wouldn’t have come out and confirmed their involvement in such a way if the original article was filled with untruths.
I’m failing to see where there is evidence there was any bugs planted. Just that GSOC hired a company to check cause they suspected it.
There ye go Nelsonmuntz …copied from the above article:
The Sunday Times reported yesterday that a surveillance operation was used to hack into emails, wi-fi and phone systems at the Abbey Street building. It’s also claimed a speaker phone in a conference room was bugged.
System is rotten…….this could be the coup de grace in revealing alot of state secrets including the murder ofFr.Molloy and Veronica Guerin……..
It was Obama or the Chinese or someone else
Blame the NSA! Fk off shattered and your lying colleague getmore.
Completely untrue to say there’s a legal requirement under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 to report incidents to the Minister. The section the Taoiseach references reads as follows:
Section 80 (5) “The Ombudsman Commission may make any other reports that it considers appropriate for drawing to the Minister’s attention matters that have come to its notice and that, in its opinion, should, because of their gravity or other exceptional circumstances, be the subject of a special report to the Minister.”
May. Considers appropriate. In its opinion.
Doesn’t take a lawyer to tell you that Enda Kenny was talking through the wrong end.
Buggers in Abbey Street?
Where’s the nearest church?
A newly spun story and the prck from the crc rides into the sunset with how much??
Another useless quango! Only for we are paying for them .where they had a “rake “of pints last night, today or tonight is of no interest to me. I assume this is the sole topic as there is nothing else to discuss.
have your say