DUBLIN AUTHORITIES ACCUSED OF VILIFYING GARDA OFFICER
Dublin authorities accused of vilifying garda officer
BY JOHN McCUSKER
OMAGH bomb families have accused the Dublin authorities of attempting to vilify a Garda officer who claimed he passed on vital information warning of an imminent attack in the days and weeks leading up to the August 15 atrocity.
The charge follows the arrest at the weekend of three Garda members in Donegal who had provided alibis and witness references in a case relating to Garda Detective John White.
The three officers, Sergeant Jack Conaty, Garda Padraig Mulligan and Garda Martin Leonard , were arrested at their homes around 8.30am on Saturday morning by members of the Carty investigating team inquiring into alleged garda corruption in Donegal.
All three were later released without charge on Saturday afternoon, and files are to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
A three man inquiry is currently hearing evidence that in the weeks leading up to the Omagh bombing, Mr White had spoken to a senior detective a total of four times in relation to information he was receiving from an informer. That information referred to a Real IRA planned attack using a stolen vehicle.
In one meeting on August 11 1998 just days before the attack Mr White claims he questioned whether any preventative action , was planned to thwart the attack.The more senior officer is alleged to have replied "John I think we are going to let this one through."
The tribunal, set up by the Dublin government to hear evidence in secret relating to Mr White's allegations, was initially due to deliver its verdict before Christ mas. That release date has now been postponed at least until next month.
Michael Gallagher and other members of the Omagh Victims' Support Group are to raise the matter when they meet later today (Thursday) with senior representatives of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs.
Mr Gallagher said he believed the weekend arrests in Donegal are directly linked to the case.
"These people [the three arrested officers] provided alibis and witness statements in favour of Mr White. I believe there is now a concerted effort to smear his name before the report comes out.
"I also believe the tribunal is holding back from releasing this report until a plan is put in place to blacken this officer's name.
"These were three long-serving and respected members of the Gardai and by arresting them in such high-profile raids, the authorities are sending out the message that anyone supporting John White will be similarly dealt with."
DS John White was arrested in July of last year and is currently awaiting trial for attempting to pervert the course of justice in a matter unrelated to Omagh.
PREVENTED OMAGH
In evidence to the Dublin tribunal, Mr White said Gardai might have prevented the huge loss of life if the information had been passed on to the RUC at the time. This would have allowed a trace to be put on the vehicle as it crossed the border en-route to Omagh.
He told the enquiry: "Myself, the senior officer, and perhaps certain other people in the NSU [National Surveillance Unit] and X [the informer] had the information and we had the ability to stop the Omagh bomb." The arrest of the three Gardai at the weekend has been dismissed as a PR exercise by Donegal GRA representative Michael O'Boyce who described the move as "unnecessary" and said the representative organisation fully supported their two members involved.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said a date had not yet been set for the release of the inquiry's findings.
"The group wrote to the Minister saying they were not in a position to finish the report before Christmas. It will now be presented as soon as possible, possible within the next month or so," the spokesperson added.
BY JOHN McCUSKER
OMAGH bomb families have accused the Dublin authorities of attempting to vilify a Garda officer who claimed he passed on vital information warning of an imminent attack in the days and weeks leading up to the August 15 atrocity.
The charge follows the arrest at the weekend of three Garda members in Donegal who had provided alibis and witness references in a case relating to Garda Detective John White.
The three officers, Sergeant Jack Conaty, Garda Padraig Mulligan and Garda Martin Leonard , were arrested at their homes around 8.30am on Saturday morning by members of the Carty investigating team inquiring into alleged garda corruption in Donegal.
All three were later released without charge on Saturday afternoon, and files are to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
A three man inquiry is currently hearing evidence that in the weeks leading up to the Omagh bombing, Mr White had spoken to a senior detective a total of four times in relation to information he was receiving from an informer. That information referred to a Real IRA planned attack using a stolen vehicle.
In one meeting on August 11 1998 just days before the attack Mr White claims he questioned whether any preventative action , was planned to thwart the attack.The more senior officer is alleged to have replied "John I think we are going to let this one through."
The tribunal, set up by the Dublin government to hear evidence in secret relating to Mr White's allegations, was initially due to deliver its verdict before Christ mas. That release date has now been postponed at least until next month.
Michael Gallagher and other members of the Omagh Victims' Support Group are to raise the matter when they meet later today (Thursday) with senior representatives of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs.
Mr Gallagher said he believed the weekend arrests in Donegal are directly linked to the case.
"These people [the three arrested officers] provided alibis and witness statements in favour of Mr White. I believe there is now a concerted effort to smear his name before the report comes out.
"I also believe the tribunal is holding back from releasing this report until a plan is put in place to blacken this officer's name.
"These were three long-serving and respected members of the Gardai and by arresting them in such high-profile raids, the authorities are sending out the message that anyone supporting John White will be similarly dealt with."
DS John White was arrested in July of last year and is currently awaiting trial for attempting to pervert the course of justice in a matter unrelated to Omagh.
PREVENTED OMAGH
In evidence to the Dublin tribunal, Mr White said Gardai might have prevented the huge loss of life if the information had been passed on to the RUC at the time. This would have allowed a trace to be put on the vehicle as it crossed the border en-route to Omagh.
He told the enquiry: "Myself, the senior officer, and perhaps certain other people in the NSU [National Surveillance Unit] and X [the informer] had the information and we had the ability to stop the Omagh bomb." The arrest of the three Gardai at the weekend has been dismissed as a PR exercise by Donegal GRA representative Michael O'Boyce who described the move as "unnecessary" and said the representative organisation fully supported their two members involved.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said a date had not yet been set for the release of the inquiry's findings.
"The group wrote to the Minister saying they were not in a position to finish the report before Christmas. It will now be presented as soon as possible, possible within the next month or so," the spokesperson added.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1532
Published Date: 16-Jan-03
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