Garda corruption claims not substantiated, says Shatter

Former minister for justice Alan Shatter has said some of the major allegations of Garda corruption made in the Dáil could not be substantiated.

Reacting to the O’Higgins commission report, he said he had discovered in his time as minister a substantial number of failures were not ignored, as had been alleged by Sgt Maurice McCabe.

“They were comprehensively investigated,’’ he told RTÉ News. “Indeed a number of investigations were well established.’’

Mr Shatter resigned as minister after a report by senior counsel Seán Guerin accused him of not heeding Sgt McCabe’s complaints.

Immediate publication

He called for the immediate publication of the O’Higgins report and said it was “beyond bizarre” that people were learning what it may include as a result of a series of leaks.

“I am in the very odd situation where I can reference some aspects of it because people have leaked them . . . I cannot confirm if the leaks are true or not,’’ he said.

The Department of Justice has said Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald needed to establish whether there was anything in the report that might prejudice criminal proceedings before it could be published. If there was nothing prejudicial, it would be published "very shortly", the department said.

Mr Shatter said there was no legal impediment which should have resulted in taking so long to publish the report. He said the Fennelly report had been published within 24 hours of the government getting it.

Fianna Fáil justice spokesman Niall Collins called on Ms Fitzgerald to publish the report. "It is now a fortnight since the Minister for Justice received the report and, while it has been substantially leaked, it remains to be published.

“It is not good enough that the contents of such an important report are leading news bulletins while elected representatives have yet to see it.’’

‘Heroic role’

Independent TD

Mick Wallace

, who with fellow Independent

Clare Daly

raised Garda whistleblower claims in the Dáil, said he believed Sgt McCabe acted in the public interest.

“I believe there should be a full Dáil debate on the report when everybody has a chance to read it in full,’’ Mr Wallace said.

Ms Daly said Sgt McCabe had played a "heroic role'' in the process to reform of An Garda Síochána.