A Garda superintendent yesterday denied he was part of any conspiracy to condemn a Co Donegal detective at the centre of corruption allegations.
Supt John McKeon conducted an inquiry in early 2003 into disciplinary matters that arose after the Carty internal Garda inquiry into corruption in the Co Donegal division.
He said the inquiry included making false claims for travel, loss of earnings and overnight expenses of Bernard Conlon for his court attendances in Letterkenny. He was examining any alleged involvement of Det Sgt John White. He interviewed Mr Conlon and took a statement.
Mr Conlon was called as a State witness after he was found late-night drinking in Frankie's nightclub, owned by the McBrearty family. He has alleged he was told to be deliberately "found on" the premises by Det Sgt White to set up the McBreartys.
He has also claimed Det Sgt White put him up to fabricating a story that two men called to his house in Sligo and threatened him with a silver bullet. He later falsely identified two members of the extended McBrearty family.
Det Sgt White was acquitted in Letterkenny Circuit Court earlier this year of perverting the course of justice and making false statements.
Yesterday his counsel, John Whelan SC, cross-examined Supt McKeon and queried him about alleged inconsistencies between the statement Mr Conlon made to him and the statements he made to the Carty team in 2000. Supt McKeon said there were no serious inconsistencies.
The chairman said part of Det Sgt White's case was that some gardaí had fed Mr Conlon details which would help condemn Det Sgt White. Mr Whelan put it to Supt McKeon that he was in fact "tidying it up". He wanted to clear up Mr Conlon's statement so that it was consistent.
Supt McKeon said: "That is not correct. There was no conspiracy on my behalf."
