A former minister for justice today rejected Michael McDowell’s suggestion that cabinet ministers in the Rainbow government were aware and partly responsible for the McBrearty affair.
Mr McDowell said yesterday ministers belonging to the Fine Gael and Labour government of 1994-97, known as the Rainbow government, bore some responsibility because events surrounding the McBrearty case happened during their time in office.
However, speaking on RTÉ radio this morning, former minister for justice Nora Owen expressed her surprise at what she claimed was "a deflection" of blame by Mr McDowell.
She said there was "no way" any minister for justice could have intervened in an investigation which was solely the responsibility of the Garda. Ms Owen said Mr McDowell was aware the office of the Minister for Justice had "no role" in criminal investigations and that any such intervention would be "inappropriate".
Ms Owen admitted that documentation was submitted to her department during her tenure in government by a private detective hired by the McBrearty family.
However, Ms Owen said she did not see this correspondence, which was sent to the Garda Division in the Department of Justice and from there to the Garda commissioner. A report was compiled on the matter in May 1997.
Ms Owen insisted that it was only after she left the department that serious issues began to emerge.
She said Minister McDowell had "fudged the issue" of blame and that there was a certain amount of spinning being done by Fianna Fáil.
Ms Owen said Mr McDowell should concentrate resolving the issues surrounding the McBrearty family’s claims for legal representation at the tribunal, and on reviewing the legislation to ensure such a scandal could not be repeated.