Ex-garda sergeant denies collusion

THE FORMER garda sergeant at the centre of allegations of collusion with the Provisional IRA has vehemently denied charges that he was involved in the murder of two RUC officers.

Retired Det Sgt Owen Corrigan said the idea that he set up Chief Supt Bob Buchanan and Supt Harry Breen was against everything he had strived for in his career and no officer had done more than him to bring republican subversives to court in the history of the State.

Mr Corrigan (71), who retired from the force in 1992 after 31½ years’ service, gave evidence to the Smithwick Tribunal for the first time yesterday.

In his first direct response to the allegations which were initially made in the House of Commons in 2000 by Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson, he said the claim had caused him and his family great distress. The tribunal is investigating possible Garda collusion with the IRA in the death of the two officers on the afternoon of March 20th, 1989. The two men were ambushed in south Armagh half an hour after leaving Dundalk Garda station.

When asked by his counsel, Jim O’Callaghan SC, if he had been involved in collusion over the deaths of the two RUC officers, he replied: “Absolutely not.”

He told the tribunal that, though he was on duty, he did not know that there were two RUC officers in Dundalk Garda station on the day of the murders.

The first he heard that he had been implicated in the murder of the two officers was when it was mentioned by Mr Donaldson.

He said his solicitor had written to Mr Donaldson challenging him to repeat the allegation outside parliamentary privilege, but had received no reply.

“It was an absolute disgrace to avail of parliamentary privilege for an ulterior motive to name me knowing that I had no redress. Nothing could be further from my thoughts and my beliefs than to be accused of this. It caused great distress for my poor late wife and my children,” he said.

Mr Corrigan said he was “delighted” to come before the tribunal to try and clear the name. As a result of the allegations, his daughter had to leave the country and nobody had suffered more than himself.

Outlining his career as a garda, Mr Corrigan said his role in Dundalk Garda station was to assign duties to those involved in the surveillance of subversive elements.

He described the situation in the town in the early 1980s as “absolutely chaotic” and they were fighting an “uphill battle”.

“I dedicated myself with every sinew of my body to combat these dark days in our country’s history.” He cited two cases of which he was particularly proud. One involved the recovery of a weapon used in seven murders and 17 attempted murders. The other was the first time that forensic evidence was used to bring republicans to court.

He recalled suffering abuse after he was pictured in 1984 handing over Dominic “Mad Dog” McGlinchey for extradition. He said four pints were poured on himself and his late wife in a local hotel. Posters were put up around Dundalk calling him a traitor. He was beaten up by republican sympathisers.

In the early 1990s, he was asked by assistant commissioner Noel Conroy to act as a go-between to recover the Beit art collection that had been stolen by Martin “The General” Cahill. He said he did so at great danger to himself. Following that he retired from An Garda Síochána.

He also denied evidence given by a now deceased senior officer Chief Supt Richard Cotterell in 2006 which was read into the record. The late Mr Cotterell described Mr Corrigan as an “excellent detective”, but also said he was “mad for money”.

Mr Corrigan said the late Mr Cotterell did not know him well enough to make such a judgment and he had worked for everything he got. The tribunal continues.