Sheedy case showed existence of circle of friends - Bruton

The Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, said the debate on the Sheedy case had been forced on the Dail because it did not know if it had a truthful Taoiseach.

He said the existence of a circle of friends had been revealed - a chain of personal relationships from Philip Sheedy through Joe Burke to Mr Ahern, to Hugh O'Flaherty to Cyril Kelly, forming a circle linking business, politics and the law, that could all too easily be manipulated by people who had no sense of restraint.

"The relationship between the Taoiseach and Dail Eireann, and between the Taoiseach and the Tanaiste, reveals a pattern of demonstrably untruthful statements, evasions and concealments, a pattern which is destructive of all trust."

Mr Bruton said the Taoiseach had told the House in May of last year he had never concealed information or been economical with the truth. "On that occasion, the Taoiseach was speaking about the Rennicks controversy. His behaviour in that and a whole series of other issues has been in direct contradiction of this statement.

"This latest example of the Taoiseach's deliberate concealment of information from the public, the Dail and his Coalition partners, fits into a pattern of behaviour which stretches back before he was elected Taoiseach by this House."

He said there were contradictions and inconsistencies in the account given by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Justice in the Sheedy case.

Mr Ahern, he added, had said he was reminded of his representations on April 12th by Mr O'Donoghue. The Taoiseach said he had informed the Tanaiste on April 14th and Cabinet colleagues on April 16th. A Department of Justice official had said on Tuesday he thought this communication between the Minister for Justice and the Taoiseach had taken place in the working week beginning on Easter Tuesday, April 6th.

A spokesman for the Taoiseach had said he believed it took place in the week beginning April 12th. Surely, said Mr Bruton, there was an authoritative record of a matter as sensitive as that?

"What version are we to believe? If the version of the officials giving the week beginning Tuesday, April 6th, is true, was the Tanaiste denied this information for at least a week and why wasn't she told before April 14th?

"Whatever the truth of the exact timing of the reminder to the Taoiseach, it is absolutely clear that the Taoiseach and the Minister for Justice thereafter connived to keep this information hidden."

Mr Bruton said the Department of Justice press officer, Mr Noel Waters, had denied to two journalists last week that any representations had been made for day release for Philip Sheedy. "Was this official denied the information, or was he instructed to give this answer? Will Mr Waters make a public statement on this?"

Mr Bruton said there was an intriguing part of the relationship between Mr Joe Burke and the Taoiseach. Mr Burke had been quoted as saying the Taoiseach knew nothing about the case beforehand.

"Before being in a position to make such a definite assertion to the media, Mr Burke must have raised this issue himself with the Taoiseach. Did the Taoiseach not tell him that he had made representations about the case last year? Is his attachment for concealment and evasion so strong that he even concealed the truth from one of his best friends?"

Mr Bruton said the word "why" summed up the House's dilemma over the Sheedy affair.

"Why did Cyril Kelly do what he did? Why did the Taoiseach do what he did, forget what he did and conceal what he did? Why? Why did the Minister for Justice not look for explanations from Judge Kelly before awarding him an ex-gratia pension? Why did the Minister for Justice not want the explanations? Why?"