The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission said last night it was still reading the Cooke report and “will make a statement as soon as possible, once we have read it fully”.
Shortly after the report was released, the international security firm Verrimus, which had been commissioned by GSOC to conduct a security sweep on its premises tweeted: “We have received the link to the Cooke Report via Twitter. We will now read, consider and respond in due course if we deem it necessary.”
Garda Headquarters made no comment on the report last night. Interim Garda Commissioner Noirín O’Sullivan is expected to make a statement today.
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil’s justice spokesman Niall Collins called for Mr Justice John Cooke to go before the Oireachtas Justice Committee to discuss his findings.
“Instead of relying on Government spin, I believe we now need to give Mr Justice Cooke an opportunity to present his report to the all-party Oireachtas Committee on Justice,” he said.
“This will allow a full and open examination of the findings and recommendations and a frank discussion of the process. I have written to the clerk of the committee requesting that Mr Justice Cooke be invited in at the earliest possible opportunity.
“This controversy and the Government’s gross mishandling of it had a major negative effect on public confidence in GSOC and the justice system. It exposed the serious problems in the relationship between GSOC, An Garda Síochána and the Department of Justice.”
Mr Collins said the response of Government, “which sought to attack GSOC rather than get to the truth, was also a source of major concern for many people.”
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin’s justice spokesman Pádraig Mac Lochlainn said the core findings were not a great surprise. “In the shadowy world of modern surveillance, it is extremely difficult to find definitive evidence.
“Indeed in conclusion 15 of the report, Justice Cooke states that he cannot categorically rule out the possibility that some form of unlawful surveillance took place and in conclusion 16, he acknowledges that further investigation may be necessary.”
“What is clear however is that the environment that led to GSOC’s concerns around their security was one of profound distrust between GSOC and the senior management of An Garda Síochána, exemplified by the tensions created by GSOC’s public interest investigation into why convicted drug dealer, Kieran Boylan had further serious drugs charges dropped in July 2008.
“The lessons must be learned from all of this.”