Justice Peter Charleton RollingNews.ie RollingNews.ie

THE FIRST MEETING of the tribunal investigating alleged smears against Garda whistleblowers will be held on Monday morning.

The Disclosures Tribunal, as it has officially been named, will hear the opening statement of Justice Peter Charleton at Dublin Castle from 9am on 27 February.

The event will be open to members of the public.

However, no applications for representation will be made on that date.

Charleton is the Supreme Court judge who was initially charged with heading a commission of investigation into the alleged smears made against Sergeant Maurice McCabe (and others).

However, after a political storm caused by the recent scandal involving child and family agency Tusla and a file it kept on McCabe containing erroneous allegations against McCabe, Taoiseach Enda Kenny announced that Charleton’s investigation would instead proceed as a full tribunal of inquiry.

However, while the Disclosures Tribunal may be its official name, you can expect us all to be calling it the Charleton Tribunal from minute one, as has become commonplace.

Other examples of Irish tribunals being colloquially known by the name of the presiding judge include:

• The tribunal of inquiry into complaints concerning some gardaí of the Donegal division, otherwise known as the Morris Tribunal
• The tribunal of inquiry into certain planning matters and payments, better known as the Mahon Tribunal, which lasted 15 years and caused then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern no end of trouble
• The tribunal of inquiry into certain payments to politicians and related matters, also known as the Moriarty Tribunal, which delved into the financial affairs of Charlie Haughey and current independent TD Michael Lowry, among others

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