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Martin Kenny has met GSOC over his Garda malpractice allegations

Last week, Martin Kenny put forward a number of claims in the Dáil over alleged Garda malpractice in the Sligo-Leitrim district.

SINN FÉIN TD Martin Kenny has met GSOC over allegations of Garda malpractice that he raised in the Dáil last week.

Speaking today in the Dáil, Kenny said that following his meeting with the Garda Ombudsman over the allegations of Garda malpractice he felt that a “commission of investigation solution is the only one appropriate” in addressing the situation.

Last week, Kenny put forward a number of claims in the Dáil to do with alleged Garda malpractice in the Sligo-Leitrim district.

Over the past nine years, the Sinn Féin TD said that gardaí had:

  • engaged active criminals as informants;
  • run their own informants outside of the official Covert Handling of Intelligence Sources (CHIS) scheme;
  • used informants they have control over to entrap and prosecute people;
  • protected other “rogue gardaí” with secrecy and denial.

He called for a full commission of investigation to be set up to investigate the alleged incidents that had occurred.

Kenny said that he had received his information from garda whistleblowers and from alleged informants.

Responding to Kenny’s claims last week, GSOC said that it had already investigated some of the allegations.

“A small number of the cases listed by Deputy Kenny have either already been investigated by GSOC, or are currently under investigation,” the Ombudsman Commission said.

Investigation

Speaking today following meeting, Kenny said that he had “immediately sought a meeting with GSOC” following his speaking in the Dáil last week.

“GSOC was already aware of some of the allegations,” he said.

Kenny said that the Ombudsman Commission’s “narrow terms of reference” prohibited it from investigating the allegations.

With its hands tied by legislation and a shortage of resources to deal with the volume of complaints it receives, GSOC is clearly not the vehicle for the investigation of any ongoing situation involving numerous interconnected complaints, for example, the inappropriate handling of informants.

Among Kenny’s allegations last week were claims that a garda informant told him that he was asked by named gardaí to carry out a burglary at [Kenny's] own home.

He also raised concerns about the investigation into missing Leitrim man Pat Heeran -saying that gardaí never questioned a number of people connected with the man, who went missing 2011 from his Aughavas home.

Read: Garda Ombudsman says it’s already investigated some of Martin Kenny’s allegations

Read: Leitrim TD claims gardaí asked informant to carry out burglary at his house

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21 Comments
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    Mute Neil79
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    May 31st 2016, 8:07 PM

    Its a bit iroinic SF complaining about malpractice !!

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    Mute david dickson
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    May 31st 2016, 8:18 PM

    Only in an Alanis Morissette kind of ironic way.

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    Mute Kerry Blake
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    May 31st 2016, 8:56 PM

    Actually Neil it’s a bit sad they are the ones raising such questions. What happened to the rest of our public representatives? Does no one trust them????

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    Mute MaryLou(ny)McDonald
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    May 31st 2016, 9:54 PM

    The Gardaí used informants outside the CHIS system….the IRA just killed informants (except the head of their informant seeking unit who was in fact one of the biggest informants).

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    Mute Desmond Wisley
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    May 31st 2016, 8:36 PM

    Martin it would be great if you were announcing 200 jobs for Leitrim , trying to get commercial rates reduced for Buisness’s real matters .not more Garda stories

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    Mute Conor Foley
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    May 31st 2016, 9:38 PM

    Yes. Nothing to see here. Move along now.

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    Mute cholly appleseed
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    May 31st 2016, 10:08 PM

    Sf have an agenda against the garda. Sure back in February adams said “gangland didn’t exist” and they don’t want the special. What’s another garda bashing story for SF. When “good republicans” like slab and they continue to have the ear of the Ira council, they’ll never have the decent people’s of this countries support.

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    Mute D'unredactable
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    Jun 1st 2016, 5:35 AM

    PiggyLeaks™ through one of its various operatives was touted to announce 100 newly bridged jobs in that vanquished region but there wasn’t enough d’internet or Junior Cert graduates post BogExit to fulfill the crimeteria!!

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    Mute Fiona deFreyne
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    May 31st 2016, 8:40 PM

    It is irrelevant that it is SF which is asking the questions. Either the issues , the malpractice allegations, deserve investigation or they do not. I happen to think that the allegations are very serious and if there is any chance at all that they might be true, a thorough investigation is imperative.

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    Mute gerry meagher
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    May 31st 2016, 9:03 PM

    Yes it’s really important what you think..another bloody investigation

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    Mute Can't Think of One
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    Jun 1st 2016, 12:54 PM

    Of course the allegations are serious. They’re being made by the political wing of a terrorist organisation, though. So it’s hard not to be at least slightly cynical about them, and the motivations which led to them being made.

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    Mute Fiona deFreyne
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    May 31st 2016, 8:28 PM

    The only way to deal with this is to organise a clandestine meeting in a dark car park of a hotel on the outskirts of Dublin late at night. That’s the way to square it away and to sweep it under the carpet.

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    Mute David Thomas
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    May 31st 2016, 9:46 PM
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    Mute Paddy Ryan
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    May 31st 2016, 8:59 PM

    Anyone else having problems red thumbing comment’s?

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    Mute jane
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    May 31st 2016, 9:01 PM

    Often happens. Green thumb first then it’ll let you change to red and vice versa.

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    Mute David Newton
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    Jun 1st 2016, 3:31 PM

    Why are people here not discussing the seriousness of the allegations and just trying to undermine the person and his party that brought these to light?

    If allegations of malpractice occurred within a nursing home and were brought to light via a Sinn Fein TD would people try to undermine his/her actions to the same regard?

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    Mute Pius Flynn
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    Jun 1st 2016, 8:21 AM

    I wonder how the investigation into what Kenny and his mates did in the Ballinamore electoral area after the election is coming on.
    It hasn’t gone away you know.

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