GARDA COMMISSIONER MARTIN Callinan has clarified comments he made in relation to two garda whistleblowers while before the Public Accounts Committee.
He took the opportunity to refer to the matter while welcoming the publication of the Garda Inspectorate report into the penalty points system.
Whistleblowers
At the time, Commissioner Callinan had told the PAC it was “quite disgusting” that two people out of a force of 13,000 are making “extraordinary serious allegations” and there is not “a whisper” from elsewhere in the force of “corruption or malpractice”.
Callinan told the independent TD Shane Ross:
On a personal level, I think it’s quite disgusting.
He was referring to allegations of widespread corruption in the termination of penalty points – allegations which had been made by whistleblowers John Wilson and Maurice McCabe.
This evening, Callinan said:
I want to clarify that my use of that term was not in reference to the character of either Sgt McCabe or former Garda Wilson, but the manner in which personal and sensitive data was inappropriately appearing in the public domain without regard to due process and fair procedures.
He re-iterated his “absolute support and commitment to any member of An Garda Síochána who reports wrongdoing of any kind”.
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