Updated at 12.10am, 27 March 2014
(Image Credit: Eamonn Farrell/Photocall Ireland)
CONTROVERSY AFTER CONTROVERSY came to a head on Tuesday with the shock resignation of Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan.
This was swiftly followed by an announcement by government that a major inquiry into the recording of telephone conversations at garda stations would be launched.
Need to keep up to date with this fast moving story? TheJournal.ie has everything you need. Scroll down for all of coverage of GardaGate, for the very latest to a timeline of what led to Callinan’s resignation.
(Image Credit: Paolo Trabattoni via Flickr/Creative Commons)
Independent TD Shane Ross says that an investigation may take place into the spending of €500,000 on recording equipment for Garda stations.
The tender for the supply of the recording equipment was made public in 2008, seeking a number of recording devices.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said that the recordings of telephone calls in and out of several garda stations around the country may have implications for tribunals as well as court cases.
Former ministers have denied they knew that that phone calls were being recorded in garda stations.
JUSTICE MINISTER ALAN Shatter made a long-awaited apology to former garda John Wilson and Sergeant Maurice McCabe.
“I acknowledge that this statement was incorrect,” he said.
“It was never my intention to mislead the House and I believe it is appropriate that I apologise to both and withdraw the statements made.”
Whisteblower John Wilson welcomed the apology, saying it was “a long time coming”.
You can catch up on everything from this mammoth Dáil session, ranging from repeated calls for his resignation to offering clarify on what he knew and when, in our live blog.
(Image Credit: Oireachtas.ie)
During Leaders’ Questions, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that he said he first became aware of the issue of calls being recorded on Sunday, and that a civil servant was sent to inform Callinan of the impending release of information on Monday.
He also told the Dáil that the Gardaí “did not do enough” to engage with whistleblowers.
(Image Credit: Oireacthas.ie)
He addressed the Dáil on the matter, outing that he hadn’t seen a letter sent to him on 10 March regarding the taping of phone calls until 14 days later.
The Minister also noted that the Attorney General knew about the tapes since November, but that a GSOC report into the matter was not sent to his department.
(Image Credit: BBC.co.uk)
The story was covered around the world by the likes of Agencé France Press and the Financial Times.
(Image Credit: Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland)
The report looked at a complaint made against Gardaí during the arrest of Anthony Holness in 2010:
“The court held that the practice engaged in by the gardaí at Waterford Garda Station of recording all incoming and outgoing calls on a particular phone line was in breach of the relevant statute on the recording of telephone.”
However, this report about illegally recorded phone conversations was not sent to Shatter – but it did go to Callinan.
(Image Credit: PoloGoomba via Flickr/Creative Commons)
The government announced that a statutory Commission of Investigation is to look into new information about phone calls in and out of a large number of Garda stations being taped and recorded.
(Image Credit: Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland)
Callinan’s resignation was quickly followed by several TDs calling for the Justice Minister to step down.
“They were a double-act,” Independent TD Clare Daly said.
Callinan’s resignation was with immediate effect, and his successor – Deputy Commissioner Noirín O’Sullivan, the first woman to lead An Garda Síochána - was appointed.
(Image Credit: Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland)
The embattled chief had been under fire over the ongoing whistleblower controversy, which was due to be discussed at Cabinet level later that day.
Callinan had been criticised for comments made at a Public Accounts Committee hearing in January, where he described the actions of Sergeant Maurice McCabe and retired garda John Wilson as “disgusting”.
Here, TheJournal.ie gives you a complete timeline of events that led to the Garda Commission’s shock resignation, from January 25 to March 25 >
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say