The Director of Public Prosecutions has decided not to seek prosecution over accusations that a Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) officer attended a party after the acquittal of Gerry Hutch, according to gardaí.
In reply to queries from The Irish Times, Garda headquarters confirmed the Garda investigation into the matter had been concluded and no charges arise from the findings of that inquiry.
“Following the submission of a file for consideration of the Director of Public Prosecutions in this investigation, a decision of no prosecution was returned,” the Garda said. “An Garda Síochána has no further comment at this time.”
The Garda inquiry was carried out by the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI), the force’s serious crimes squad. The man who was investigated worked for Gsoc, investigating complaints made about Garda members.
He had previously worked as a police officer in another country and then took up a job with Gsoc, based in Dublin.
In April, 2023, he resigned amid allegations he was at a party which Hutch attended on the day that he was cleared of a murder charge. Hutch (62) was found not guilty of the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in 2016 as part of the Kinahan-Hutch feud.
It is understood the Gsoc investigator told a number of people that he had been at a party at a house, which Hutch attended. The claim was subsequently reported to senior management at Gsoc and the officer resigned.
Any links, however tenuous or fleeting, between Garda members or people involved in Garda oversight agencies, and gangland criminals are a cause for concern and would usually be investigated.
It is understood the officer who resigned from Gsoc had always strongly denied any wrongdoing. He was arrested as part of the investigation and released without charge pending further inquiries. He has since Ireland..
Gsoc was an independent statutory body, established to provide oversight of policing in Ireland. Its primary responsibility is to investigate matters in relation to the conduct of gardaí.
Gsoc has since been replaced by Fiosrú, which performs the same role, after reforms of Garda oversight agencies, which was completely unrelated to the allegations that have now resulted in no charges being pursued.
On Wednesday, Fiosrú said in a statement its predecessor, Gsoc, in 2023 “immediately opened an internal investigation after becoming aware of a potential conflict of interest involving a staff member”.
“The officer resigned within days of Gsoc opening its investigation,” it added. “In the same week in April 2023, Gsoc also referred this matter to An Garda Síochána for investigation.” – Additional reporting PA
