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Here's what Noirín O'Sullivan had to say about her ex-boss and those black bags

Former Commissioner Martin Callinan shredded up to ten bags of personal papers on the day he retired.

GARDAÍ WILL “FULLY address” any issues arising out of the Fennelly Commission, the Garda Commissioner said today.

Noirín O’Sullivan was asked about the interim report at the Ploughing Championships in Co Laois today – in particular revelations that her former boss Martin Callinan shredded up to 10 bags of papers on the day he retired.

The report, published at the start of the month, revealed that on the day he resigned as commissioner last year Callinan filled eight to 10 black bin bags with personal papers and asked a subordinate to dispose of them.

The papers were later shredded and, according to the Fennelly Commission, may have included the commissioner’s diary for 2013.

The Commission said it was also unable to locate all of the data from the official garda mobile phone used by Callinan. The former commissioner was initially unable to find the phone before supplying it to the commission.

Speaking in the days after the report’s release, Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said that “… it would have been helpful if they were available, quite clearly”.

I do agree, we do need to examine that. The gardaí will be looking at the Fennelly report and certainly I do need to see what the practice is and we do need to examine it.”

Asked this morning whether gardaí would be investigating the disposal of material by Callinan, here’s what Commissioner O’Sullivan had to say:

“The interim report – and I think it’s important that we point out that it’s an interim report of the Fennelly Commission – I’m very conscious that the Commission continues its work and obviously we are fully cooperating and facilitating the Commission in their ongoing work.

“But the interim report is being examined and any issues identified in in will be fully addressed.”

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43 Comments
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    Mute Michael Evans
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 12:11 PM

    If it looks like a sliddery bollocks, then in all probability it is!

    442
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    Mute Louis Jacob
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 1:04 PM

    “Most unfortunately, in the lives of puppets there is always a ‘but’ that spoils everything.”

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    Mute EDDIE BARRETT
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 1:45 PM

    When this Lady hangs up her uniform and gets her big payoff , she has a future as a Comedienne , like iPhone Joan ???

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 2:11 PM

    Michael I wish I could give you 100 green thumbs.

    51
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    Mute Alien8
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 2:19 PM

    there are so many issues with the gardai at the moment, between this incident of the ex commissioner potentially destroying evidence belonging to the state, the misuse of section 8 (I.e. gardai not referring to section 4 to 7 when issuing and arresting a section 8, which was upheld in the high court just before water charge protest started making all these arrests 100% illegal), to the organisation of resources around temporary work stations (in relation to IW) without a credible risk to those employees, to the lack of a viable method for an independent complaint mechanism against individuals, there is a very serious risk to the institution of policing in Ireland. All of these issues are not being addressed, and regardless of opinions of Irish water or the government policy, the failure of the state to uphold central tenets of the law is troubling.

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    Mute ciaran
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 8:56 PM

    so in effect after all the changes and new beginnings its business as usual

    16
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    Mute littleone
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 12:15 PM

    Shredded paper. Missing sim. Just another day in Ireland., what is really going on? This from the report.
    Given the evidence that had been received, that almost all communication with the Department of Justice was through texts, the information contained on the mobile phone of Mr Callinan was extremely relevant. The Commission asked Mr Callinan about his mobile phone . He confirmed that the phone he used as Commissioner was an official phone. He said he did not know where it was…the Commission made enquiries of An Garda Siochana regarding the former Commissioner’s mobile phone. Assistant Commissioner Nolan said that the phone had been returned to An Garda Siochana by Mr Callinan, that the SIM card had been removed and the phone then returned to Mr Callinan. He went on to state that he believed that the SIM card was subsequently destroyed.”
    “Following this information, the Commission again wrote to Mr Callinan and asked him to search for the phone. He found it and furnished it to the Commission but it had no SIM card in it and no information stored on it. The Commission wrote to Assistant Commissioner Nolan requesting details of how the SIM card had come to be destroyed and who had authorised this, as well as details of the policy of An Garda Siochana in relation to mobile phones once members have left office. Assistant Commissioner Nolan was originally of the view that the SIM card had been destroyed in Garda Headquarters but subsequently stated that the SIM card had not been returned by the former Commissioner and it had been cancelled remotely on May 30, 2014, as it had not been used since April 16, 2014.”

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    Mute Thomas Maher
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 12:36 PM

    Its easy to get the phone records for the that phone they just have to get phone call records from the service provider (ie) Vodafone, O2, Metor etc… who ever has the contract. I believe they are meant to keep them for up to 2 years.

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    Mute Kieran OKeeffe
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 12:37 PM

    Given that almost all communication was via text..shouldn,t there be another phone at hq that sent/received the same messages?

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    Mute Alien8
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 2:35 PM

    Thomas, they are required to keep that data, but the state can only request it in relation to a serious crime or for tax purposes, and it is more than likely the gardai will not make a request within those two years, allowing the mobile company time to destroy it. even if they did, Callinan (or Kenny) would counter sue to keep the information confidential as it is not covered by the 2011 data retention act.

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    Mute von
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 6:01 PM

    Secretly i hope Vodafone keep them. That would be fun in a few years.

    14
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    Mute Thomas Maher
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 6:23 PM

    @Alien8 well that clear up then, and allows a nice little cover to continue.

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    Mute Tony Hartigan
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 12:22 PM

    Frightening what is happening in this country at this time of our history.

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    Mute Magnus
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 12:19 PM

    And Noirin O’ Sullivan should not be Commissioner either. It needed proper reform, not a plaster from the last administration. So, I still have no confidence in the Gardai at the top end and that’s not going to change until fresh blood steps in or someone I trust. I have no faith in her ability or capacity as Commissioner.

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    Mute Tweed Cap
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 12:26 PM

    And the dog ate his homework..Kenny is a snake, Shatter is a weasel and this lad is no better. Sure it would be a great little country if you could only roof it.

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    Mute Kenneth Graham Dissident
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 12:24 PM

    Lies corruption and clearly breaking the law but that’s alright……….. great little country to be corrupt in when your are the commissioner of the garada

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    Mute Kevin Slater
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 1:05 PM

    Correct but all holders of state office are inherently corrupt in the sense that they consider themselves above the law and are not accountable to the electorate

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    Mute For Connolly
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 12:25 PM

    Noirin O’Sullivan, who was happy to stand with Callinan when he referred to the whistleblowers actions as ‘disgusting’, being given the commissioner gig, was the irish establishments way of telling the little people that nothing is going to change on their watch. Time to end their watch.

    The change we so badly need in this state has to start outside of the traditional levers of power.

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    Mute Shinnér Ó Bót
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 1:42 PM

    I have no respect for the police either, Comrade

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    Mute John Campbell
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 12:35 PM

    Mr. Kenny may have done the country some service in ‘encouraging’ Mr. Callinan to retire. The destruction of documents and the ‘disappearance’ of the SIM card give the impression of matters being hidden. This is not good enough. Strange that the former Commissioner has not said anything in public since resigning. I would suggest that this story is far from over.

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    Mute D H
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 12:42 PM

    John he may have done the country a service but it wasnt for the good of the country he acted, it was to try and remove a stain from his administration before it brought them to a point of no return

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    Mute littleone
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 12:47 PM

    Doing the country a service John would have been sacking the commissioner over the penalty points scandal and standing with the whistleblowers , not backing callinan till it became an inconvience for him. Showing balls instead of sneaky underhanded tactics.

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    Mute Gus Sheridan
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 2:14 PM

    Stinks of corruption….

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    Mute von
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 6:05 PM

    Maybe by the Taoiseach’s orders. Who knows.

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    Mute Robert Christopher
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 1:09 PM

    Graham Dwyer phone records were retrieved by a garda forensic team. That was after the phones spent a year in a resoivoir. He was convicted of murder based on the evidence found on the phones. But yet the same force cannot retrieve any data from Callinans phone. Top Brass Stink. Kenny and all of his government stink.

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    Mute von
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 6:15 PM

    Robert Christopher. Enda Kenny is the Common denominator. He is the one that has to go down.

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    Mute Brendan Hughes
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 12:42 PM

    Doesn’t he normally spend his time driving Hyacinth Bucket around?

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    Mute Eoin Fleming
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 1:12 PM

    It’s “bouquet” dear! “RICHARD!!!”

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    Mute David Bonner
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 2:05 PM

    Ha, nice work Eoin.

    19
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    Mute CelticPeople'sParty
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 1:13 PM

    This is utter disgraceful behaviour from the head of a Police Force and our elected representatives.

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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 1:49 PM

    What on Earth is she doing at the Ploughing Championships?

    49
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    Mute von
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 6:17 PM

    Neal. I think she is a farmer at heart. She should buy a farm.

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    Mute @mdmak33
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 2:19 PM

    whole lot of them should be replaced. these cover ups are sickening. I would also say he has documents he is keeping to protect his pension, and a lot of top people are shitting themselves,and hoping he keeps them to himself.

    36
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    Mute von
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 6:19 PM

    People should realise Enda Kenny is dangerous, i mean it. His friends are gangsters we really have to be careful with the next election.

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    Mute Dominic Hearns
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 1:05 PM

    HE shredded HIS PERSONAL papers.
    So, they were his, he could do what he liked with them. Maybe they should have been strewn across some landfill,,,,, would that have been better ???
    I’m with Mr Callinan on this one.

    28
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    Mute littleone
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 1:09 PM

    Except Dominic . his sim card was not personal but state property. Do you think it’s OK to destroy state property?

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    Mute Alien8
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 2:41 PM

    also, what personal information (that not relating to his work as commissioner) was in his gardai office filling cabinet? do you think he stored his UPC bill there? this was not his information, and the fact that he organised a Garda HQ skivvy to destroy it showed this. Any thing being destroyed by the gardai should be vetted by an information officer, not on the whom of an individual and his mate.

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    Mute Steven Geoghegan
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 2:29 PM

    What’s actually surprising here, is the level of surprise at these revelations… Typical

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    Mute von
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 5:57 PM

    Moirin is so deep in Enda’s pocket she can’t see the wood for the trees. And of hubby got an extra hobby with IW so thats more money, enjoy bit watch your step if you annoy Enda someone will come and tell you to go go to the forgotten land and you must obey.

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    Mute von
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 6:20 PM

    That should be Noirin.

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    Mute Void bringer
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 3:40 PM

    “Whats`s on the paper Martin”? “words just words”, yea right.

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    Mute ijlester
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    Sep 22nd 2015, 6:19 PM

    If this was a lowly member of AGS – a Garda or a Sergeant – then the newest Commissioner would have thrown them under the bus without the slightest hesitation and condemned their actions as illegal – but Callinan knows where the bodies are buried, just like she does as they probably buried them together. But she is just another political appointee, who rose up through the political ranks – just like Callinan and she’s every bit as controlled by her political connections as he was. She can expect a late night caller now too after her ridiculous comments about the IRA going away and her new strategy of turning on your lights to stop the burglars. You couldn’t make this tripe up! Next up will be to buy a dog, or lock your doors! Callinan was of no use to anyone, except as the lame duck puppet that he was, and I have no sympathy for him – just like I won’t for her when she gets the door. He was well paid off to jump and stay quiet. Of course Edna sacked Callinan, but who cares? Maybe eventually they’ll be forced to find a Garda Commissioner who won’t be shackled by having to toe the party line and say “I have enough resources blah blah blah”. Don’t hold your breath.

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    Mute Vincent O'Halloran
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    Sep 23rd 2015, 5:34 PM

    I am amazed he did not do the shredding himself or supervise it. Very stupid…… Wait till some of the juicer bits turn up!

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