A protocol officer at Áras an Uachtaráin has initiated a High Court action alleging that "bogus" disciplinary proceedings have been "contrived" against her by senior personnel in the office of the President's secretary with a view to removing her from her post.
Bridget Conway, whose duties include managing the President's diary and drafting speaking notes, claims the steps were taken because of resentment about her close working relationship with President Mary McAleese.
She claims her relationship with one senior official was initially good but began to deteriorate after President McAleese embraced her on her return from the funerals of some of the victims of the Omagh bombing in August 1998.
The embrace was to thank Ms Conway for her support at what was a difficult time for the President, both personally and professionally, and it was witnessed by a senior official who challenged Ms Conway and asked her to explain what he termed "all this hugging stuff", Ms Conway states in legal documents.
She claims her close relationship with the President was resented in particular by Loughlin Quinn, personnel officer in the office of the secretary to the President, and by Brian McCarthy, secretary general in the same office. She claims this alleged resentment and personal animus by the two men is the driving force behind an investigation into "completely baseless allegations" about certain working practices in the office.
Ms Conway claims a baseless allegation of bullying was made against her in early 2004 by a female colleague at the Áras, of which Ms Conway was exonerated in July 2005.
Shortly after this allegation was made, she claims she was informed in a letter from Mr Quinn that a number of matters had been brought to the attention of senior management which would have to be investigated under the Civil Service disciplinary code. She rejected all the allegations as contrived and believed the entire process itself flouted the code.
Roddy Horan SC, for Ms Conway, a higher executive officer in the Civil Service, with an address at Oakleigh, Clane Road, Celbridge, Co Kildare, yesterday secured permission from Ms Justice Mary Laffoy to apply on Monday for an injunction restraining a disciplinary investigation against Ms Conway.
The proceedings have been brought against An Taoiseach, Ireland, the Attorney General and Brian Spain, personnel officer in the Department of Defence, who has been nominated to conduct a disciplinary hearing concerning Ms Conway.
Mr Horan said a bullying allegation had been made against Ms Conway in 2004 which she felt was contrived and she was found innocent after an inquiry.
However, Mr Quinn had then initiated a disciplinary process which was now two years old, counsel said. Mr Quinn had continued with that process for six months before disqualifying himself from it and then Mr Spain had "taken up the cudgels", counsel said. Ms Spain's recommendation was later quashed by a Civil Service appeals board.
However, the State had recently decided to reconstitute the process. Mr Horan said he was seeking to stop the process. He would be arguing that the Civil Service disciplinary code had been "shamelessly flouted".
