GARDAÍ AND Independent News Media (IN&M) are treating as a case of corporate espionage the private surveillance placed on the company's chief Gavin O'Reilly last week. However, contrary to media reports over the weekend, The Irish Timesunderstands there is no Garda investigation into the matter.
Garda sources said representatives of a UK private security company were questioned by detectives in Dublin last week after a security company working for IN&M became concerned when it saw about five men following Mr O’Reilly around the city.
Gardaí challenged the men and asked them to explain themselves. The men produced identification proving they were working for a UK security company. However, because it is not illegal for private investigators to follow people, no laws had been broken. Mr O’Reilly has not made a formal statement of complaint to gardaí meaning there is no Garda criminal investigation into the matter.
However, IN&M has hired an external security expert to examine whether its headquarters at Citywest in Dublin was compromised by the surveillance.
A spokesman for the group said checking the building for surveillance devices and mounting a full counter-surveillance operation was “already under way”. The company had “obviously beefed up security” after last week’s surveillance on Mr O’Reilly, which was in the run-up to its agm last Friday.
In addition, the company was keen to establish if Mr O’Reilly’s car, home or phones had been bugged. The spokesman said the company had “no idea” who had hired the private investigators.
The five men watching and following Mr O’Reilly were first spotted by security staff working at IN&M’s campus at Citywest, west Dublin. At least two of the men were seen on a number of consecutive days in a hire car around the building and also tailing Mr O’Reilly’s car from the building.
Other agents of the UK security company were also seen on foot outside the Citywest plant, apparently watching for Mr O’Reilly.
As Mr O’Reilly was driven from Citywest on one occasion he was informed by IN&M security staff by phone that his car was being followed. He pulled into a service station but when he left he noticed the car that had been following him had waited a short distance away. Gardaí were called and approached the men in the vehicle, demanding identification. A short time later two men waiting at a hotel where Mr O’Reilly was due to arrive were found to be working for the UK company when approached by gardaí.