The Opposition today pressed the Minister for Justice over the revelation a drug dealer secured an international road hauliers' licence as the Dáil resumed following its Easter break.
The Garda Ombudsman is investigating Garda links to a drug dealer after it emerged he secured an official international road haulier’s licence. Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey has said he is reviewing the decision to award a licence to Kieran Boylan, a convicted dealer who had drugs charges against him dropped last year.
Boolean, an alleged Garda informer, had been at the centre of a serious drugs case up until July last year when charges were dropped, suddenly and without explanation. They related to the seizure of heroin and cocaine worth €1.7 million at a truckers’ yard in Ardee, Co Louth, by the Garda National Drugs Unit in October 2005.
The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission is conducting a public interest investigation into Boolean and his links to gardaí.
Addressing the Dáil, the Minister for Justice, Dermot Ahern, said he had received an interim report but was "somewhat constrained" on what he could say on the matter in light of the Ombudsman Commission's investigation.
Pat Rabbitte, Labour spokesman on justice, noting the matter happened on July 31st last year, said: "How long does the Minister think he needs in order to come in here and answer plain facts about the case. Can I ask him to stop sheltering behind the Ombudsman Commission; if he isn't sheltering behind the skirts of the Ombudsman Commission, he is sheltering behind the Minister for Transport."
"The plain facts of this are this person was found red-handed in possession of 1.7 million pounds worth of drugs, and the charge was dropped. A nolle prosequi was entered on the last day of the court term without notice to the court. How can you explain that Minister?" Mr Rabbitte said.
The Labour TD questioned how a convicted drugs dealer could get an international licence "to import death" into the country. "People are in disbelief out there that somebody with three convictions . . . then caught red-handed in possession of a huge consignment of drugs has the charges dropped, and now somebody is covering up for him."
Mr Ahern denied there was any delay on his part and said a final Garda report would feed into the Ombudsman's report. The Minister called on Mr Rabbitte to leave any allegations of complicity aside in light of the Ombudsman's investigation.
The Minister added: "There would be disbelief if this House or any politician were to interfere into the independent process that was set up by the House to investigate complaints against gardaí . . . the Ombudsman are investigating this . . .it would be very wrong of me, you or anyone to interfere with that, and I will not do it."
During leaders' question time, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny asked the Taoiseach why no reference was made to previous convictions when the application for the haulier's licence was made to the Department of Transport, as, Mr Kenny said, this information was on a Garda file.
The Taoiseach, Brian Cowen said there was a need to find out how the licence came to be issued. Mr Cowen said this need to happen quickly and that any gaps had to be identified and closed, with legislation if necessary.
