The minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, is expected to deliver a recommendation to Cabinet soon regarding the case of a 100-year-old former Garda superintendent, Mr William Geary.
Mr Geary was dismissed from the force in 1928, without a trial or disciplinary hearing, for allegedly accepting a £100 bribe from the IRA in exchange for information. For 71 years he has maintained his innocence and urged the Government to restore his honour and pension.
Mr Geary, who moved to the United States following his dismissal, is not seeking financial compensation.
The Minister is expected to recommend a restoration of Mr Geary's pension and may even suggest that he was denied due process. It seems unlikely that he will reinstate Mr Geary to his former rank or say that he is innocent of the charges.
Even though the Minister is not required to receive Cabinet approval for his decision, it is thought he has done so because of strong opposition from his own Department and the Department of Finance.
Although the denial of due process to Mr Geary has never been disputed, some of Mr O'Donoghue's advisers feel that a reversal of a previous decision could lead to a flood of similar claims.
Following the publication of Mr Geary's story by The Irish Times last January, two calls were received from individuals who believe their cases are similar.
The wording of Mr O'Donoghue's recommendation will be important from several points of view, and will have to be carefully composed. The Minister must walk a line between satisfying those who have campaigned for Mr Geary's vindication and avoiding encouraging compensation claims from others.
If Mr Geary is not satisfied with the Minister's decision, he could challenge in the courts the Government's decision to dismiss him in 1928 without due process. This could be expensive for both parties, and the Government might be perceived as persecuting a 100-year-old man.
The alternative is an appeal under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI), asking the Information Commissioner to examine Mr Geary's government file and release any papers that were denied him without proper justification.
A recent successful FOI appeal involving a member of the Defence Forces, who was discharged in 1975 without a court-martial, forced the Government to release almost all the previously-withheld documents.
Despite several reports to the contrary, the Government Press Secretary says Mr Geary's file is still being reviewed by the Department of Justice and is not due to go before Cabinet this week.