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Updated 11pm
AN INQUIRY INTO the alleged bugging of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) has found no evidence to support any claims of surveillance by members of the force.
The report from retired High Court Judge John Cooke’s investigation said that while it is impossible to rule out all possibility of covert surveillance, it is clear that the evidence “does not support the proposition that actual surveillance of the kind asserted in the Sunday Times article took place and much less that it was carried out by members of the Garda Síochána”.
Cooke was tasked with conducting an independent inquiry by former Minister for Justice Alan Shatter after a security firm picked up signals and wifi anomalies in a sweep of GSOC’s Dublin office. The initial allegations were made public by The Sunday Times on 9 February.
The report is critical of the “serious breach of security of GSOC’s confidential information” which led to that newspaper article.
He described the information as “seriously inaccurate”, adding that it appears “to have its source in information known only to those who were privy to the conduct and outcome of the PI Investigation”.
Cooke said he was informed that the breach in question is the subject of an internal enquiry in GSOC.
The report points to a number of pieces of what it describes as “misinformation” that appeared in the article.
“GSOC’s ‘Wi-Fi network’ was not compromised to ‘steal e-mails, data and confidential reports’. Insofar as the sweep examined a ‘Wi-Fi network’ it was confined to the wireless devices of the audio-visual equipment and was unconnected to any data storage,” it reads.
There was no ‘second Wi-Fi system’ which had been created using an ‘IP 52 address in Britain’. No ‘Government-owned technology’ had in fact been used to ’hack into e-mails’.
Cooke said that the it is a matter for the internal enquiry – or a future statutory investigation – to examine whether there is any link between “the obvious leak of the information on which the Sunday Times article was based and the possibility… that someone with access to the Media Room and familiarity with the password was responsible…”
The full report was published this evening by government following an extended Cabinet meeting.
The Taoiseach received a final copy of the report last Friday and it has tonight been welcomed by the Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald. She said both GSOC and the Garda Commissioner will be asked to provide a response to the report, which will also be considered and discussed by the Oireachtas Justice Committee.
GSOC has just received the report and a spokesperson said they will offer comment as soon as possible.
First published 8.30pm
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Why the hell are they putting a massive bridge down such a narrow street?
Its common practice now in congested areas of the world it simply gets rid of T – junctions Buy allowing traffic to flow over other crossing traffic.
Because they can.
The bigger question is why didn’t they close off the area during construction?!
Not this time.
It’s common practice for 3rd. world countries to put up these ‘jerry built’ constructions, like many of the shit housing developments here.
The obvious fault is the crumby Steel that was used. It’s twisted and crumpled like paper. Probably the Steel workers were getting kickbacks…. The weight of the poured concrete was just too much.
Insufficient falsework I’d say.
They should bring in the Chinese.
The Chinese know how to build sturdy structures ever since they built the Great Wall.
The Great Wall of China still stands proud even after thousands of years of earthquakes.
.
Dublin Cowboy Builders please take note.
I’ve been to India many times. I doubt there are any building regulations. If I want build a small extension in the uk there are hoops to jump through. It is checked by the council, I have to make changes, meet standards, resubmit plans etc…it’s frustrating but when you see stories like this perhaps those strict regulations are there for very good reason. Getting things done cheap might help rapid progress but it has consequences.
“We completed nearly 70% without mishap” – gold stars all around so! Talk about a glass half full attitude.
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