Micheál Martin says he was never briefed about alleged Russian spy in the Oireachtas

Peadar Tóibín says Senators ‘sniggered like giddy children’ as they denied being reported infiltrator during Seanad sitting

A weekend news report alleged that an Oireachtas member, nicknamed ‘Cobalt’, had been recruited as a foreign spy during Brexit talks. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien
A weekend news report alleged that an Oireachtas member, nicknamed ‘Cobalt’, had been recruited as a foreign spy during Brexit talks. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien

Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said it is “unacceptable” for intelligence information to have been released to the media if reported allegations of a Russian spy in the Oireachtas are true.

Mr Martin told the Dáil on Thursday that he did not know who the person was, or if the story was true, but that as Minister for Defence he had never been briefed about there being a spy in the Dáil or Seanad.

The Fianna Fáil leader said he had “real concerns about how all of this has emerged into the public arena”.

Mr Martin said he was taoiseach during the dates when this individual was allegedly recruited.

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“I received security briefings but I was never told and never briefed that there was a spy in the Oireachtas,” he added.

A Sunday Times report alleged that an Oireachtas member, nicknamed “Cobalt”, had been recruited during Brexit talks but had not been paid and had not accessed sensitive information.

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Mr Martin said “there is an issue of accountability in terms of our intelligence services, because if this is true, then someone gave that information out and I don’t think that’s acceptable”.

The Tánaiste was responding to Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín, who said it was “scandalous” to think that a member “elected to represent the interests of the Irish people would allow themselves to be manipulated to work in the interests of a foreign government”.

“It is actually treacherous,” he added.

Mr Tóibín referred to the Seanad, where the issue had been raised on Wednesday, and a number of Senators said in a tongue-in-cheek manner that they were not a spy. “Members of the Seanad sniggered like giddy children. It looked like an episode of Killinascully,” the Meath West TD said.

Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

He told Mr Martin: “You’re the Minister for Defence and you receive national security briefings. You know who the individual is. What are you going to do to ensure that this person is held to account?”

The Tánaiste said he did not know who the person was and had received no briefing about any spy in the Oireachtas.

“I’m actually very surprised at the degree to which everybody, herd-like, has just grabbed on to the story and said ‘who is the person’?” He said he was surprised that all the political interest was “in one direction and not in the other”.

Mr Martin said there is a broader issue that future governments, TDs and Senators need to be very clear about, which was that “intelligence services have an accountability chain and are accountable” in a democracy.

He said a national security strategy was being developed “and we lack that at the moment”.

“I’m not comfortable with the situation pertaining to intelligence. It’s very important that we have intelligence. It’s very important in terms of the external dimension and our Defence Forces to a very good and necessary job in the protection of our country,” he said.

Marie O'Halloran

Marie O'Halloran

Marie O'Halloran is Parliamentary Correspondent of The Irish Times