Ongoing inquiries on Garda and justice matters

Investigation into recording of phone calls (announced today)

Statutory Commission of Investigation will look into the recording of phone calls by the gardaí, a practice which was in place for many years before being discontinued in November 2013. It is not yet clear why this practice was in operation. The terms of reference for the commission will be decided shortly, once a full report on the circumstances has been made available to the Government.

Sylvia Roche Kelly case (launched February 2014)

Sylvia Roche Kelly was murdered by Gerry McGrath in Limerickin December, 2007. It subsequently emerged McGrath had been released twice that year by gardaí following serious incidents. GSOC investigated the handling of the case in 2010 but are now understood to have launched a new investigation.

Judge John Cooke inquiry (announced February 2014)

In February the Government announced it was appointing retired High Courtjudge John Cooke to investigate the potential security breaches identified by the GSOC in its offices in Dublin and whether or not they pointed to an attempt at covert surveillance.

Seán Guerin inquiry (announced February 2014)

The Government announced that it would be asking Seán Guerin, a barrister with extensive experience in criminal law, to assess a dossier that was handed to the Taoiseach by Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin. The dossier comprised “10 sample cases” compiled by Garda whistleblower Maurice McCabe, which alleged negligence, incompetence and malpractice on the part of gardaí in a number of serious cases.

Department of Justice review (announced February 2014)

Minister for Justice Alan Shatter ordered a review of all the dealings between his department and Garda whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe. They are believed to date back to early 2010, and the correspondence has been extensive. An integral part of the review will be documentation relating to Mr Shatter’s assertion in the Dáil last October that Sgt McCabe failed to co-operate with an internal Garda inquiry into the fixed penalty points system.