Criminal investigation into whether garda texted information to paramilitary

Minister Frances Fitzgerald Source: Sam Boal

A FORMER GARDA is being investigated after claims they sent a text to a paramilitary containing information about people who had been arrested.

The Evening Herald today contains the claims that a garda based in a Leinster station sent the text, which was picked up by M15, who then contacted the PSNI. The PSNI then contacted the gardaí.

This evening, the Department of Justice and Equality released a statement saying:

It would be completely unacceptable if information of any kind were to be passed by a member of An Garda Siochana to members of unlawful organisations.

It is understood that An Garda Siochana is aware from its own intelligence and enquiries of suggestions that a member of the force passed on the names of persons who had been arrested on a particular occasion.

The member in question has since resigned and is currently under criminal investigation in relation to this and an unrelated matter.

The Minister has asked the Interim Garda Commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan for a full report on this matter.

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