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THE CHAIRMAN OF Garda watchdog body GSOC says there’s still outstanding questions remaining over the claims of electronic surveillance at its Dublin offices.
Simon O’Brien was speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland today in the wake of the release last night of a report on the issue by retired High Court judge John Cooke.
The report, which was sparked by an article in The Sunday Times, found that while it was impossible to rule out all possibility of surveillance at the city centre offices, it was clear the evidence “does not support the proposition that actual surveillance of the kind asserted in the Sunday Times article took place and much less that it was carried out by members of the Garda Síochána”.
“As you look back now, there is still an ‘outstanding anomaly’ in the words of the judge,” O’Brien said.
“As the judge says — in these rather febrile areas, it’s difficult to know if this could be in relation to unlawful intrusion.
So, question marks still remain.
Cooke was tasked with conducting an independent inquiry by former Minister for Justice Alan Shatter after a security firm picked up signals and wifi anomalies in a sweep of the GSOC HQ.
The initial allegations were made public by the newspaper in February of this year.
“In the same report [Cooke] says very clearly that after a security sweep two credible threats were found, and GSOC went on to investigate those threats,” O’Brien said this morning.
We had credible threats that we had to investigate — and as we said back in February, we had no evidence of electronic surveillance at our offices, and also that we certainly weren’t pointing the finger at An Garda Síochána.
Regarding the newspaper report, which Cooke also said was ‘seriously inaccurate’, O’Brien said “We have always said what we don’t necessarily concur with what The Sunday Times might [reported] have in relation to this whole incident”.
He added:
We properly investigated credible threats and we closed our investigation and that’s very similar to where the judge has got himself to after three or four months.
O’Brien said he regretted that the former Justice Minister had found out about the initial sweep through a newspaper article, adding “events overtook us”.
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Still throwing mud at the Gardai. There’s your impartial Garda investigative commission folks. Typical Ireland. Investigation shows Gardai did nothing wrong and the ombudsman still attacks them. I bet the 2 Gardai in Cork know all about it. GSOC is rotten
Look within your office…. Waste of tax payers money !!!
So, they had no evidence but still felt it necessary to go straight to the press before any investigation. They claim ‘anomalies’ while the report says there was no evidence if surveillance. Sure I suppose if they throw enough sh&t around some of it will have to stick.
That’s the problem with GSOC. They receive a report and immediately leak it to the press. No interest in the truth the headline is all that matters.
An English security firm reported the anomalies not them.
Oh yeah, and they concocted this vague useless report to justify their massive bill, just to save face for their over zealous English mate at GSOC.
That body has zero credibility left.
They are behaving like “beaten bullies”…..
It’ll also be interesting to see if they prosecute certain high profile GARDAI for leaking confidential information into the public arena,,,, that’ll test them.
What a shower !!!
Dominic read the report before commenting.
Any explanation for the “burning” of Verrimus employees?
” an unknown individual who stood directly in front of them and took out a camera from his shoulder bag. They turned away to avoid being photographed but the individual waited and when they turned back he photographed them. Mr described this as a “trade craft procedure” known as being “burned” which is a strategy used by the “opposition” to let them know that they are aware of their presence and that, in other words, “their cover has been blown.”
Cooke Report, 9.51
Think it’s time for him to consider his position,what a waste of taxpayers money! There can be no relationship between the Guards & these attention seeking people after this fiasco !
There’s not supposed to be a relationship at all or the purpose of GCOS would be unreliable
GSOC
So all the red thumbs think the independent Garda ombudsman should have a relationship with the Garda themselves?
Kevin, the bandwagon red thumbers are out in force on this issue. Probably the same people that want Minister Shatter reinstated.
Actually Kevin, there is supposed to be a professional relationship between the two state bodies. Leaking half baked,unsubstantiated,and poorly investigated stories to the media is not terribly professional. And if anything comes across as malicious…
Im Sorry Stephen name me another country where the police force and the independent institution that holds the police accountable have a relationship?
Dearest Kevin, when you use the term relationship, the image I think your trying to convey is GSOC and the commissioner going for a few scoops at the weekend, or maybe for dinner?
As two state funded bodies their relationship should be professional. In other words, the Gardai should be confident that any information given to GSOC should remain there.
Instead what we see is a state organisation launching what amounts to a PR strike against another state organisation and creating an antagonistic relationship, instead of a professional one.
Tax payer nil. GSOC nil. Gardai nil. Verimus + however many thousand they were paid.
Honestly.
To some extent I can uderstand there guys being a bit paranoid. But who leaked the security report to the Sunday Times. Surely it can have only come from someone within GSOC? They may not have any bugs of the electronic kind…..what about the two legged kind?
O’ Brien is arrogant beyond belief, he has to be sacked , and sacked immediately , before he tarnishes the image of his office and that organisation further.
Considering a number of GSOC’s personal are ex-gardai, its independence has always been in question.
Not one ex member of the Gardai employed by GSOC..for your information
Mr. O’Brian seems to think different, from a recent interview, 15th May 2014, on Newstalk:
O’Brien: “Well, look, as we’ve already said, we look at other jurisdictions – we have ex-members of the Guards with us – I have no problem with that, they do a good job for us and we are independent in our function.”
So…for your information, a number of ex-gardai serve with GSOC, though Mr. O’Brian seems rather naive about their loyalty.
The only question that remains is why he is not sacked.
Hole is dug you stop digging. I think he judt sealed hos faith
It’s clear this report has only heightened tensions between gsoc and the guards. Gsoc and o Brien in particular are acting like children. It’s time to move on and get on with the job in hand. It’s clear he’s incapable of doing so. He must go as well as the majority of senior personnel in gsoc and replaced by people who aren’t only interested in headlines.
If that O’Brien hasn’t the honour or class to resign, well it reflects poorly on the integrity of that organisation .
The biggest question is, how are ye still in a job after all this? bunch of plebs…
Media wh#res!
Not to worry. Once seanieryan completes his investigation into the matter we’ll know the truth. Just as soon as he’s finished reading the tabloids.
I’d say you wouldn’t have to look too far considering the “power struggle” between O Brien and Fitzgerald !
Such a waste of time, tax payers money ! They just trying so hard to justify their existence !
In other words the investigation was stopped by someone from going any further or deeper
A complete sham another stroke by kenny
True that, the judge came to the same conclusion as Verrimus, they can’t say for certain that bugging did take place but their 1am telephone test revealed that it was more likely than unlikely. Except Verrimus told the truth and said ‘we’re not sure but we’re as sure as you can possibly be’ and Judge Cooke says he can’t explain the anomaly but in his mind bugging didn’t take place, because he says so.
This judge, who has zero experience in surveillance, has contradicted a report by one of the most respected surveillance companies in the UK, check out their Facebook page, these guys protect the Royal Family on a regular basis, they run courses on surveillance and counter surveillance, indeed most of their employees are ex-MI5/MI6.
So now Judge Cooke, a Fine Gael political appointment, is contradicting the experts the field. Verrimus tweeted last night to say they are reading the report, methinks Judge Cooke is going to end up with egg all over his face when the experts in surveillance make a statement
I agree with everything you say. I have a big question over who provided the expert technical advise to the judge because there is no way in hell he did that on his own.
“A judge is a law student who marks his own examination papers.”
H. L. Mencken
A retired judge is someone who used to mark his own exam papers
Another lesson in equivocation, Questions asked but answers are so open to interpretation that no one knows whats going on.
Of course it was bugged — we live in Ireland where vested interests always get what they want. The people under threat from GSOC won’t stand for that ie the government.
Why not Blame one Irish Billionaire. They blame him for everything else.
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