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THE LEVEL OF response from concerned people to the Disclosures Tribunal into Garda whistleblower controversies has been “very disappointing”, according to a report.
The Disclosures Tribunal published its first interim report last night.
The tribunal – which is headed by Supreme Court judge Justice Peter Charleton – was set up this year this look into an alleged smear campaign against Garda whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe and others.
It will also look into the treatment of other whistleblowers including Garda Keith Harrison.
Writing in the first report, Charleton said that the Tribunal had requested in February that all witnesses and interested parties should cooperate within two weeks.
He said that despite a number of people providing information, the level of response was “very disappointing”.
The report also states that the first public hearings will be held in July, and said it hopes to finish hearing evidence by the end of the year.
It will divide its work to five “substantial” sections which will have public hearings.
Firstly, in July it will look at whether files within the HSE, Tusla and Rian were created or used by senior members of gardaí to make or further a false allegation of sexual abuse against Sergeant Maurice McCabe.
Public hearings into the treatment of Garda Keith Harrison will take place in September.
In November, the Tribunal will look into what may have been a brief to Garda Press Office Superintendent David Taylor to disseminate information to journalists from then-deputy Garda CommissionerNóirín O’Sullivan.
A short inquiry will then be held in relation to broadcasts made on RTÉ on 9 May, 2016 and whether O’Sullivan had dictated the nature of these in some way.
The O’Higgins Commission was the subject of these broadcasts, the Tribunal won’t go over the Higgins Commission but the RTÉ reports on it.
An opening statement on the work done by the Tribunal so far will be given in June.
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Responses will be dragged a screaming and a shouting out of those with the most serious questions to answer. The truth, if it emerges at all, will emerge painstakingly slowly.
The idea is to wind down the clock until interest subsides and a Tribunal fizzles out. Judge Laffoy was defeated by the Delartment of Education.
The standard response is to snow a Tribunal with as much irrelevant and unhelpful information as possible, citing public interest privilege, national security interest, informer confidentiality, legal professional privilege and irrelevance over the most pertinent information.
The department of Justice, the AGS, certain journalists, and statutory agencies will drag their feet forever. Bureaucracies are adept at cooperating whilst not really cooperating.
We’ll see , truth or whitewash , time may tell .
@Paul O Connell: it’s only going to go one way..too many of the high and mighty in political life at risk of getti g scalded from this do corrupt little Ireland does what it does best.. pulls the wagons round and tough out the s**t storm because we have short memories and it’ll all be soon forgotten.
@Tony Skillington: Not that we have short memories, more that we have such an abundance of scandals in little old Irl it’s genuinely difficult to keep track.
And we know that f all happens at the end of them anyway
Noreen must have told them to keep quiet!
Begs the question – was this whole debacle just a political football from opposition parties exaggerated far beyond its substance?
If it was truly the pandemic it was communicated as, there would have been a flood of responses.
@alphanautica: or there are more corrupt cops than people care to admit
@alphanautica: Totally agree with you there.
All involved should be made give statements and the rest of you should stand up for your job and fellow workmates and the rest of you are corrupted!
This is going to be a bottle of smoke, clearly nobody has any interest in it. But sure I suppose some people will make big bucks out of it.
@Eugene Comaskey: “Clearly nobody has any interest in it” Spoken like a true F Gailler. Enda must have been s#itting himself , so much so he resigned on the eve of the prelimenary report.
@Just Me: You are on the wrong track there, but according to the Judge it appears that there is very little interest in the “whistle in the mouth brigade.” Let them whistle away, all Bullsiht .
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