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Mark Stedman/RollingNews.ie

Minister took 6 months to respond to allegations that gardaí entrapped people through informants

Sinn Fein TD made a series of allegations of wrongdoing by gardaí in a protected disclosure to Frances Fitzgerald.

SINN FÉIN TD Martin Kenny has criticised Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald for taking six months to acknowledge a protected disclosure he made about alleged serious garda malpractice.

In November 2016, Kenny made his protected disclosure to Frances Fitzgerald, outlining claims he had made earlier in the year. Speaking in the Dáil last May, he made serious allegations about wrongdoing in his constituency.

He claimed gardaí had, over the course of a nine-year period:

  • engaged active criminals as informants;
  • run their own informants outside of the official Covert Handling of Intelligence Sources (CHIS) scheme;
  • used informants they have control over to entrap and prosecute people;
  • protected other “rogue gardaí” with secrecy and denial.

Kenny said he had been given this information by garda whistleblowers and alleged informants.

He claimed at the time that a garda informant told him that he was asked by named gardaí to carry out a burglary at his own home.

Kenny told TheJournal.ie that he only this week received an acknowledgement of his protected disclosure and said this was “absurd”.

Fitzgerald’s letter, dated 16 May, says the “delay in responding is regretted”.

She noted correspondence in November from the Sinn Féin TD under Protected Disclosures legislation. Though the minister said she does not believe his letter constituted a protected disclosure, she described the allegations as “clearly very serious”.

Fitzgerald has now requested a report from the Garda Commissioner in relation to the claims. Martin questioned how seriously his allegations were being taken considering the six-month delay in even acknowledging them.

“I don’t know what it says. You think they’ll be looking at them seriously. After the speech I made [in May], two senior gardaí came to meet me and I gave them everything, told them who they needed to speak to. I’ve never heard from them since,” he said.

“This was last year in May or early June. It was an exercise to absorb what I knew. I was very annoyed with them, but I was more annoyed at myself for believing them”.

Read: Sinn Féin TD makes protected disclosure over alleged garda malpractice>

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27 Comments
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    Mute Tony Daly
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    May 20th 2017, 12:16 AM

    It is important that An Garda Siochana are subject to the law as the rest of us are. The rule of law is an important part of any democracy.

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    Mute dead right
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    May 20th 2017, 9:12 AM

    @Tony Daly: we have a truly rotten police force from the top to the poor lad just out of templemore who apparently has to sleep in his car eating pot noodle.

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    Mute Ben Moten
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    May 20th 2017, 11:50 AM

    @Tony Daly:

    Of course you are right. However, and I don’t mean this in any disparaging way, this comment is much like what a politician would say and then leave it hanging in mid air.

    We all know what is needed but if the leader of our country, the minister for justice and all the other political groups do nothing about the corruption which permeates our country, we will just have to put up with it. That is if we as citizens don’t do something ourselves.
    Regards.

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    Mute booby sandwiches
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    May 20th 2017, 1:15 PM

    @Tony Daly: large pich of slat required with anything a shinner says… you couldnt trust them to tell the time never mind the truth

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    Mute #Right2change
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    May 20th 2017, 12:30 AM

    Democracy is crumbling in front of all our eyes!! FF/FG ignore will of Irish people when it came to water and now ignore parliamentary vote on AIB shares. Are we to believe they even care about the crumbling Gardai ?

    208
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    Mute Tim Brennan
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    May 20th 2017, 12:27 AM

    I’m exhausted as to how this ministers incompetence is seen as one of those things and tonight she will bed Leo to keep her job

    148
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    Mute booby sandwiches
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    May 20th 2017, 12:09 AM

    if true its sound like the gardai were doing some fantastic work, long may it continue

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    Mute iluvkief/Tá mé dom
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    May 20th 2017, 7:05 AM

    @booby sandwiches: a good job by what setting up the competition?or some fella because the cop fancies his girlfriend?or someone who didn’t give up his seat in the pub? or beat him in darts? You must be a member of stackers

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    Mute booby sandwiches
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    May 20th 2017, 1:16 PM

    @iluvkief/Tá mé dom: your inferiority complex is alarming but very amusing :D

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    Mute Dave Doyle
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    May 20th 2017, 6:51 AM

    It all boils down to the fact that a corrupt government needs a corrupt police force, and that a corrupt police force needs a corrupt government, or neither will thrive.
    The government are not interested in Gardai corruption and the Gardai have no interest in investigating the wholesale corruption in the government and those who surround government.

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    Mute alphanautica
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    May 20th 2017, 7:55 AM

    @Dave Doyle: identify one case evidencing ‘wholesale corruption’ in government of illegal or criminal behaviour and you get a lifetime’s supply of tin foil

    16
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    Mute booby sandwiches
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    May 20th 2017, 11:17 AM

    @Dave Doyle: does that apply to northern ireland also, SF in government, corruption is rife, fake research companies anyone??

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    Mute alphanautica
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    May 20th 2017, 7:49 AM

    What’s wrong with:
    engaged active criminals as informants
    used informants they have control over to entrap and prosecute people

    Is that not the whole point in Gardai infiltrating criminal networks?

    Heartwarming that Sinn Fein are concerned about such things.

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    Mute booby sandwiches
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    May 20th 2017, 11:18 AM

    @alphanautica: exactly it sound like the polic are doing a fantastic job if everything that shinner is saying is true. but its a shinner so its most likely all lies

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    Mute Bennythekid
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    May 20th 2017, 4:47 AM

    is Michelle (author) on first name terms with the Sinn Fein deputy referring to him at one stage as Martin while no such courtesy applies to the minister.-just proves i read the article.

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    Mute Joe Burns
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    May 20th 2017, 11:02 AM

    But don’t worry folks, keep voting FG/FF and it will all get sorted. Sure aren’t we in recovery? The fastest growing economy in Europe, lots of jobs for people who want to work and 280,000 empty houses out there to rent. Keep the recovery going and the EU and IMF will look after us.

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    Mute Brian O Reilly
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    May 20th 2017, 7:48 AM

    Beware the ,”Long finger of the Law”

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    Mute Gerry Campbell
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    May 20th 2017, 9:40 AM

    The Shinners minding their own again !

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    Mute Grainne Kelly
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    May 20th 2017, 11:05 AM

    That’s why she is not on the leader ticket. Costly friendship! !

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    Mute booby sandwiches
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    May 20th 2017, 1:20 PM

    that shinner should get used to being ignored, it is going to have to deal with it daily for the rest of its life :D

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