ISSUES IN GARDA COLLEGE CANNOT BE INVESTIGATED BY GARDAÍ ALONE- KELLY

Issued : Saturday 13 May, 2017

Labour TD for Tipperary and Vice-chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee, Alan Kelly TD, has called for an independent review of the misappropriation of accounts in Templemore to be headed up by the fraud squad but overseen by GSOC along with a team of independent international experts.

“In order to properly investigate what happened in Templemore, we need the fraud squad to head up review overseen by GSOC and international experts. It has come to a stage where we cannot expect the Gardaí alone to investigate wrongdoings into their own organisation.

“The issues brought up by whistleblowers in the Gardaí are being investigated by the Charleton Inquiry. The root-and branch review of the Gardaí is being led by Kathleen O’Toole. We can’t have a situation where issues in Templemore are being dealt with the Gardaí as normal.

“The culture at the highest levels in management of An Garda Siochána for years ensured that this was kept away from the internal audit section, and when the Commissioner was told about it, and separately legally advised to bring it to the attention of the Minister for Justice she didn’t act.

“This situation with the Garda Commissioner is a crisis for our country, for our justice system and for An Garda Siochána. The ordinary, decent, hard working Garda is being let down by senior figures in their organisation."