ENDA KENNY APPEARS confident that the report of the Fennelly Commission will vindicate his position that he did not sack the Garda Commissioner last year.
Speaking having read the report he received last night, the Taoiseach said he intends to publish it, subject to clearance from the Attorney General, as soon as possible.
Retired Supreme Court justice Nial Fennelly has been investigating the circumstances surrounding the departure of Martin Callinan last year amid opposition claims that Kenny effectively sacked the commissioner.
His report was delivered to Kenny last night and is now expected to be published this week.
“It’s almost 300 pages, I read it last night. In accordance with the law I’ve given it to the Attorney General for review and for clearance,” Kenny told reporters at the Science Gallery in Dublin this morning.
It’s my intention actually to publish it as soon as I can and, as I said, the central charge against me of breaking the law and sacking the Garda Commissioner – I’ve rejected that always and still do – and I look forward to the publication of the report.
Pressed on the contents of the report, Kenny said he would wait until it is published and restated that he rejected all assertions of him having broken the law. He added:
As I said, if I was fearful of publication I wouldn’t be in the mood to move to publish as quickly as I can. As soon as the Attorney General gives clearance for its publication I will do that.
Speaking a short time later at Government Buildings, Tánaiste Joan Burton indicated the report could be published as soon as later today.
“It’s my hope to see the Fennelly report published as soon as possible. I know from speaking with the Taoiseach that that is his intention as well,” she said.
Asked if there were any circumstances where she might withdraw from government over the report, Burton said she was waiting to see the report.
“I haven’t seen a copy of the report yet so I can’t make any comment on it,” she insisted.
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