The tribunal set up to consider the most serious set of allegations made against members of the Garda Síochána opens in Co Donegal today.
The extent of the allegations is reflected in an opening statement from counsel for the tribunal which is expected to take six days to conclude.
The tribunal was set up with Mr Justice Frederick Morris, retired President of the High Court, as its chairman and sole member, following sustained controversy about the activities of certain gardaí in Donegal. This initially centred on the investigation into the death of a cattle-dealer, Mr Richie Barron, who was found dead on a roadside in October 1996.
The tribunal will also inquire into the handling of these allegations by the Garda Complaints Board.
Mr Peter Charleton SC will outline the central issues involved in the tribunal when it has its first full public hearing in Donegal town today. He will describe a series of allegations which include criminal and unethical behaviour on the part of certain gardaí in a number of areas.
Sensitive issues will include: the recruitment and use of informers by members of the force; whether proper procedures were used in this process; and how certain individuals and groups came to be accused of a series of crimes.
For the first time in the State, a tribunal will have at its disposal its own independent investigators, separate from its legal team. This is a two-person team, made up of an officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Chief Supt Brian Garvey, and a retired Garda officer, ex-superintendent Michael Finn.
Garda to come under intense scrutiny: page 5