Explosive allegations concerning senior gardaí
Two of the most senior and respected members of An Garda Síochána of recent times, Assistant Commissioner Kevin Carty and Assistant Commissioner Tony Hickey (now retired) are the subject of the most serious allegations by an unnamed Garda source who communicated information to two TDs on 25 June 2000.
The information was presented orally and in a document, which we reproduce here. We would normally not be in a position to publish such information but this document was appended to the judgment of the Supreme Court, delivered on Tuesday, 20 December, in a case taken by the two parliamentarians against the Morris Tribunal and therefore attracts what is known as "absolute privilege".
Assistant Commissioner Kevin Carty was the officer who undertook the initial inquiry into the Garda scandal in Donegal. Assistant Commissioner Tony Hickey was in charge of the Veronica Guerin murder investigation which had an uncertain outcome. Only one person remains convicted of her murder, Brian Meehan, and it is believed he may be acquitted on appeal.
As is stated in the accompanying document the allegations circle around a garda, Detective Garda John White, who has attained a status of fame/notoriety within the force both because of his success in countering the subversive threat of the Real IRA and reports of his activities in Donegal which are now the subject of enquiry by the Morris Tribunal.
The Garda source for this information has not yet been identified. One of the Parliamentarians involved in this issue, Brendan Howlin, who is aware of the garda's identity, has said he believes the identity will soon become known. The Supreme Court has ordered the two Parliamentarians to disclose the identity and to disclose documents which could help the Tribunal establish who the informant is.
The allegations state that Detective Sergeant John White obtained a large number of convictions by "planting" evidence and that the two Assistant Commissioners were aware White was the source of the "trumped up" evidence.
The document states: "Another matter which White was involved in was the planting of stolen property on suspects and as result of this he had a huge amount of stolen property at his disposal". It further claims: "It is known that White is in regular contact with Assistant Commissioner Hickey and has an 18 page document concerning his and others' activities whilst he was stationed in Dublin and this document, it appears, is his passport to escaping the rigours of the law and his way of frustrating the ongoing investigation." (That was an investigation then underway under Assistant Commissioner Carty into allegations of gross misconduct on the part of gardaÌ in Donegal).
An extract from Black Operations: The Secret War Against the Real IRA, by John Mooney and Michael O'Toole, published in Village on 1 December, revealed John White became the Garda handler of one of the force's most productive "informers" Paddy Dixon. Between 1991 and 1994, Dixon provided White with sensitive information on the Dublin crime scene, drug dealing and gangland murders.
Although Dixon operated mainly with a gang of young thieves that stole cars to order, he was well connected among drug dealers and gunmen. He was a valuable asset. He became an even more valuable asset when he became involved with the Real IRA in 1998. He provided information that lead to bombing operations by the Real IRA being intercepted.
Detective Sergeant John White had by then distinguished himself as a serious player in the intelligence community. He had been earmarked for promotion but then the unthinkable happened: White found himself at the centre of serious corruption allegations in County Donegal. He was alleged to have encouraged informers to make false statements and to have planted a shotgun at a Travellers' encampment. He denied the allegations from the outset but was arrested and later suspended from the force.
He remained silent on the allegations for a year then started to make serious counter-allegations about the Omagh bombing. He claimed Crime and Security, the Garda's intelligence division, had failed to stop the Omagh bombing.
In a secret operation, the British intelligence agency, MI5, approached White and took him to Britain where he was debriefed about his work for Crime and Security. White took them through every step of the secret operations mounted against Michael McKevitt and the Real IRA.
White has made several threats to "unmask" senior people in An Garda Síochána.
(See editorial on page 29)
Vincent Browne
(This is the document given to Brendan Howlin and Jim Higgins in June 2000. It was attached to a judgement of the Supreme Court delivered on 20 December and therefore attracts "absolute privilege".)
Confidential information has come to hand from a serving Detective Inspector of An Garda Sioch·na attached to a Station in the DMA concerning the Garda Investigation in the Donegal Division.
1. There appears to be a problem concerning the ongoing investigation into the conduct of one Detective Sergeant John White which would give the impression that the matter is not being dealt with in accordance with the Commissioner's instructions to the investigating Officer, Kevin Carty. If this is the case, it is very worrying to say the least.
2. The reason for this is the fact that Detective Sergeant White worked with both Mr Carty and Assistant Commissioner Tony Hickey during his service in Dublin and whenever evidence had to be got to prove a case beyond doubt, Sergeant White was the man who was given the job of producing the said evidence by unlawful means.
3. A large number of convictions were achieved by "planting" evidence and both Carty and Hickey were aware that White was the source of the "trumped up" evidence. Payback was extra expenses for White in the form of unworked overtime/travelling and subsistence allowances and the misappropriation of Department of Justice funds continued up to 1998 as White was given blanket permission to claim the aforementioned expenses.
4. There is now a fear among members of the investigation team that if White is fully investigated he will use his knowledge of those matters as his defence and in doing so a number of persons convicted which involved lengthy prison sentences will prove to have been unsafe and the consequences for those involved, and indeed the entire force, would be unthinkable.
5. Another matter which White was involved in was the planting of stolen property on suspects and as result of this he had a huge amount of stolen property at his disposal. This property was not officially documented in official property books and this malpractice enabled him to have a huge amount of stolen property at his disposal. When he moved to the Donegal Division he moved a large amount of said stolen property with him and this was known by the Authorities and indeed was a "running joke" among ordinary Gardai.
6. Taking all this reliable information into account it is felt that this investigation will be unsuccessful in establishing the true facts of the illegal activities of Detective Sergeant White and the only other alternative is a full and open public enquiry.