Morris tribunal:A former detective sergeant has said that anonymous allegations that he planted evidence with the knowledge of some of the highest-ranking officers in the force were designed to put pressure on the Government into holding a public inquiry into Garda conduct in Co Donegal.
"They were malicious in nature and were designed to pressurise the Government into forming a public inquiry into matters relative to the treatment of the McBrearty family and not to rely solely on the Carty report which was due for submission to the Commissioner within three weeks of these allegations being passed on to the Minister for Justice," John White told the Morris tribunal yesterday.
"They were also designed to cause a top-level investigation into all of the cases that I had worked on during my service and into all expense claims that I had made over the years.
"This malicious act was obviously done by a person or persons who bore a serious grudge against me and who hoped such an investigation would unearth evidence or knowledge of wrongdoing by me during my previous 26 years of service in An Garda Síochána."
Mr White said that as a result of the allegations in June 2000, he had been the subject of one of the most extensive Garda investigations. He said 96 serving and retired gardaí praised his professionalism and integrity in statements given to the inquiry headed by assistant Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy.
The inquiry also involved an examination of Mr White's expense and overtime claims, which the document alleged were used to pay him for corrupt activities. The former detective said that, in fact, he had under-claimed on expenses for overtime and his transfer to Donegal.
Mr White told the tribunal he requested a meeting with Chief Supt Dermot Jennings in a pub in Dublin following his arrest in March 2000 to explain how confidential documents had been seized in a search of his locker.
He was arrested following allegations from Bernard Conlon that he was responsible for false allegations of intimidation. The tribunal and a Circuit Court judge have found that Mr Conlon was not a reliable witness.
A provision in the Garda disciplinary code allowed a garda under investigation to avoid suspension through a transfer, allowing the officer to work in a separate division while the allegations were investigated and preserving pension contributions and salary until the case was decided.
"I'd never heard of it," Mr White said. "It was in the code, but the code is huge.