Four Garda members spoke publicly for the first time last night.
Following the broadcast of the RTÉ Investigates Garda Whistleblower documentary, Deputy Garda Commissioner Paul Cleary joined The Claire Byrne Show.
Two experienced case handlers in the Gardaí's whistleblower department have become whistleblowers themselves. They claim that whistleblowers have been penalised for coming forward, and they were penalised themselves for trying to protect them. They are among four Gardaí whistleblowers who spoke to RTÉ last night.
Deputy Commissioner Cleary stressed the robust framework of structures, systems and processes in place to ensure the integrity of reporting and investigation.
“A robust system isn’t one where everyone is satisfied with every outcome,” Mr Cleary said.
“Dept Superintendent Brian O’Reilly, Dr Donal Corcoran and Ms Rose Sweeney said that they tried to ‘speak up’ internally, as is mandated by the Garda Code of Ethics under reforms introduced after the Maurice McCabe whistleblowing crisis, but they were ignored and sidelined, and now they are ‘speaking’ out, to protect themselves and other whistleblowers,” according to RTÉ.
When asked if Mr Cleary could “stand over,” the fact that these Garda members are depending on social welfare and were holding back tears on the programme, he said, “I can’t accept every characterisation we say in the programme as a fact, simply because it’s been seen publicly or with conviction or emotion."
The Deputy Commissioner told Claire Byrne that the cases were investigated comprehensively, and he knew the senior officers involved in investigating them independently, and they all went to the “nth degree”.
In relation to a company that makes saddles for horses being engaged to produce gun holsters for An Garda Síochana, Mr Cleary said “In the case that was referred to, the tragic death of our colleague Colm Horken, that case has been through two trials, with defence counsel, jury, judges, and there was no issue raised in that regard. I think we have to trust our legal process, our internal process.”
Questions were raised in the documentary about former Garda Commissioner Drew Harris's involvement in replacing Dr Corcoran's independent choice of examiner, a military firearm expert. The Commissioner was also allegedly involved in who would write the report on the effectiveness of the standard-issue Garda holster.
Mr Cleary said he would not accept the idea of the Commissioner using people who suited their agenda.
“I cannot comment on the individual nature of the allegations made last night,” he said.
“What I can say is that the processes are robust and we do take them seriously. I don’t want to conflate the individual allegations, which are all being dealt with in different forums, which have all been publicly spoken about on numerous occasions,” The Deputy Commissioner told Claire Byrne.
