THE PENALTY POINTS whistleblower has rubbished the findings of an internal garda investigation and has invited Taoiseach Enda Kenny to meet with him to discuss his allegations.
The garda sergeant’s claims of malpractice in the force sparked an internal review of procedures for terminating road traffic tickets and led to a complete overhaul of how the Pulse System is operated by gardai.
The investigation, sanctioned by Justice Minister Alan Shatter and overseen by Assistant Commissioner John O’Mahoney, found no evidence of corruption.
However, disciplinary proceedings were initiated against three gardai while a fourth officer faces prosecution over fraud charges.
The whistleblower’s dossier questioned the termination of more than 50,000 points over a four year period. But O’Mahoney’s internal review reported 72 incidents which were not “strictly within the correct administrative procedures”.
Invitation
In an email seen by the TheJournal.ie, the Midlands-based garda asked Taoiseach Kenny to review evidence which he claims shows widespread cancellation of points and directly contradicts the report published by Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan.
“Are you not concerned that either me or the Garda Commissioner is wrong?” he wrote in the email.
“I have lodged a complaint with the Standards in Public Office and I have complained about two senior members of An Garda Siochana.
I have also submitted to them a sample of hundreds of corrupt terminations out of tens of thousand that don’t seem to be in Assistant Commissioner O’Mahony’s report. The Justice Committee will be provided with this evidence when I give my evidence.”
I invite you to meet with me and to see the evidence for yourself. If I am wrong there are avenues open to you regarding discipline and prosecution if you feel I have lied or misled.
In the email dated 27 May, the whistleblower said he believes his figures are correct and he is ”standing firm” over his allegations.
A spokeswoman for the Taoiseach’s Department said they would not be commenting on the invitation.
Internal review
The officer was not interviewed as part of the internal garda review ordered by the Justice Minister and he was not given a right to reply to the findings of the report.
On publication of the report, Minister Shatter said he was concerned that “clearly laid out procedures” were not followed especially in relation to senior gardai cancelling points outside their jurisdictions.
A number of new protocols aimed at tightening the rules on penalty point cancellations were introduced and the findings of the report were sent to the Oireachtas Justice Committee for review.
However, Minister Shatter was critical of the whistleblower following publication of the internal garda investigation saying concerns must be “real and genuine”.
He said the officer’s allegations were in many instances “seriously inaccurate and without any foundation in fact, or else involved an incomplete understanding of the facts”.
The garda officer was not asked to respond to these statements before or after they were made by Minister Shatter.
Check point
Minister Shatter has faced a barrage of criticism since he revealed private details about a road traffic incident involving independent TD Mick Wallace during a live televised debate on RTE’s Prime Time.
The Justice Minister later revealed that Garda Commissioner Callinan provided him with information about his political opponent during an official briefing on the penalty points controversy.
The Minister was also forced to give a detail explanations of incidents where he was stopped at garda check points while he was an opposition TD.
Minister claimed he was not able to provide a breathalyser sample at a check point on Pemebroke Street in Dublin around 2008 because he has asthma.
There was no Garda report generated on this incident.
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