The former chief executive of a State agency told gardaí he was being “blackmailed” by a senator, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has been told.
Francis O’Donnell, former chief executive at Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), indicated at a hearing on Wednesday he had been pressurised in an attempt to have reinstated an employee at the organisation who had been suspended pending an investigation into allegations made against him.
Giving evidence, O’Donnell said he had told gardaí in July 2022 that he believed that “significant fraud had occurred at IFI”.
He said he met gardaí by appointment and told them he had been pressurised by the former chairman of IFI not to proceed “with that process or any process in relation to that fraud”.
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On the first day of his direct evidence on Tuesday, O’Donnell maintained that he had been threatened by the former IFI chairman – whom he identified as Fintan Gorman – after he suspended Gorman’s brother as part of an investigation into allegedly misusing an official fuel card and a vehicle owned by the organisation.
O’Donnell also said subsequently the then Department of Environment and Communications – the parent department of IFI – had received a protected disclosure setting out allegations against him.
On Wednesday, O’Donnell said he had told gardaí in the summer of 2022 that allegations made against him in the protected disclosure were being used by a senator to have the individual who had been suspended pending an investigation reinstated to his role.
The former chief executive also said he had been informed by a senior official in the Department of Environment and Climate that a senator had called him to say if the person concerned was not reinstated, details in the protected disclosure would be made public.
“I advised gardaí that I was being blackmailed by a senator at that time,” he said.
He maintained the senator had told another senior official in the Department of Environment that he (O’Donnell) had links to the Continuity IRA.
The identity of the senator who was accused of blackmailing the former chief executive was not made known at the hearing.
Adjudication officer Michael MacNamee asked O’Donnell whether there had been a Garda investigation into his complaints. The former IFI chief executive said there had been.
“Was there any prosecution?” MacNamee asked.
“There was no prosecution,” O’Donnell replied.
“Are any contemplated?” the adjudicator asked.
“Not contemplated at this time, to my knowledge,” the former IFI chief executive answered.
The evidence given by O’Donnell on Wednesday generated significant legal argument regarding the rights of third parties who may be identified in the proceedings at the WRC.
Counsel for IFI Tiernan Lowey said very, very serious allegations had been made against a public official who was not present.
“The person named is running for elected office this year,” he said.
The adjudication officer said he had asked the parties in the case on two occasions whether they wanted the case to be heard in private, but both had favoured a public hearing.
The adjudication officer imposed interim reporting restrictions on the evidence given by O’Donnell on Wednesday morning until he considered the issue further in the afternoon.
[ Unsigned allegations about fisheries agency referred to gardaí by TDsOpens in new window ]
In the afternoon, the adjudication officer told solicitor for The Irish Times Matthew Austin that there were no restrictions being imposed and the evidence given in the morning could be published.
O’Donnell told the hearing that he had three meetings with Fintan Gorman in March/April of 2022, in the weeks after he suspended his brother.
He said one in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, had been very tense. He said at that meeting the chairman had wanted to raise issues about the suspension of his brother.
He said a meeting at a hotel in Galway was similar.
O’Donnell maintained that Fintan Gorman had told him at that meeting that “he had the numbers for a vote of no confidence and remove me as CEO”.
He said a third meeting in Ballyshannon around April 19th, 2022, was “quite fraught”. He said the same issue about his brother had been raised and that he had said he could not discuss it.
“He asked me to go outside, which I did. He said he would make things public about me that would be very damaging to myself and my wife,” O’Donnell said.
O’Donnell said Fintan Gorman had resigned as chairman of IFI on April 28th, 2022.
The hearing continues on Thursday.
