Courts / Ireland / Report

Commissioner's "eyes and ears" tells tribunal he trusted officers to provide accurate information

Summary

During the Charleton tribunal, Chief Superintendent Fergus Healy, who had acted as a liaison between former Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan and the O'Higgins Commission, testified that he trusted senior officers to provide accurate information about whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe. He explained that he had organised consultations between the commissioner's legal team and other senior Garda officers before the Commission's hearings began in May 2015. He stated that the letter drafted by the commissioner's legal team after the second day of evidence on 15 May 2015 was factually correct, as he believed all content was accurate. The tribunal chair, Justice Peter Charleton, criticised one paragraph of the letter that claimed an inspector was investigating complaints against a chief superintendent, calling it "farcical" and noting that such complaints are normally investigated by a higher‑ranked officer. Healy will return to give further evidence on Monday, after which Commissioner O'Sullivan is scheduled to give her testimony. The tribunal will continue on Monday.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Commissioner's "eyes and ears" tells tribunal he trusted officers to provide accurate information. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• May 2015 Other
• Friday, May 15, 2015 Other
• 2018-01-19 Publication

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

Read the original CNI report