Deputy Howlin criticised in Morris Report
THE FINAL report of the Morris Tribunal into alleged Garda corruption in County Donegal has criticised the manner in which Wexford T.D, Brendan Howlin and a Fine Gael MEP handled serious but unverified claims against two senior garda officers.
The two gardai, Assistant Commissioner, Kevin Carty and retired Assistant Commissioner, Tony Hickey were investigated after Jim Higgins and Brendan Howlin claimed they had anonymous confidential information that the officers were allegedly corrupt. The eighth and final report of the Morris Tribunal published yesterday (Tuesday) has exonerated the two officers and concluded that the allegations were bogus and an attempt to undermine an internal garda inquiry into garda corruption in Donegal. The report by Mr. Justice Frederick Morris criticised the manner in which the two politicians handled the information passed on to them.
Deputy Higgins was at the time a Fine Gael TD and his party's spokesman on Justice while Deputy Howlin was the Labour Party Justice Spokesman. The TDs brought the allegations of highlevel corruption to the attention of then-Minister for Justice, John O'Donoghue who contacted the Garda Commissioner. Garda and tribunal investigations found no evidence to substantiate the claims.
Responding to the final report this week, the Garda Commissioner, Fachtna Murphy said he was grateful that the tribunal had publicly vindicated the reputation of 'two highly-respected senior members of An Garda Siochana'.
'I note that Judge Morris emphasised that the 'appalling allegations' made against both officers were completely untrue and unwarranted', he said.
Deputy Howlin is on record as saying that he acted in a proper manner in dealing with the allegations and that he brought them to the Minister for Justice at the time without making any public comment about it.
