Journalist 'knew Bruton intervened over corruption claims'
Journalist Frank Connolly today revealed he was aware former Taoiseach John Bruton pressured Fine Gael colleagues not to help a Donegal family’s battle against garda corruption.
Backing earlier claims about Mr Bruton, the reporter told the Morris Tribunal Jim Higgins TD was asked in 2000 to ease off the McBrearty case by the then party leader.
The request came after a member of the Garda Complaints Board from Co Louth approached Mr Bruton, then TD for Meath and leader of the opposition, urging him to step in.
However, Mr Connolly said Mr Higgins only remembered it after he was recently reminded about it.
“I was informed at some point by Jim Higgins and possibly in the first instance by Frank (McBrearty) Senior … that he had been asked by his then party leader to lay off the McBrearty’s,” he said.
Mr Connolly went on: “And that the request had come from a member of the Complaints Board and that the member of the Complaints Board was from a geographical area close to where the party leader was from.”
“He (Mr Higgins) did confirm it, and he did confirm it again recently, I reminded him of the conversation recently.”
Dail questions by Mr Higgins concerning allegations of garda corruption and the treatment of the McBrearty’s in Co Donegal ultimately led to the setting-up of the Morris tribunal and the exposure of a catalogue of wrongdoing across several ranks of the force.
Mr Higgins has accepted at the tribunal that he received a phone call from Mr Bruton where he was asked to lay-off the McBrearty case.
Mr Connolly added that Mr Higgins did not comment on whether he would abide by his leader’s request.
“I don’t recall whether he indicated anything, but I think history will recall that he didn’t [act], in the way the party leader wanted him,” the journalist said.
Mr Connolly earlier described a disgraced former detective garda as an enforcer.
After weeks and months reporting on incidents involving crime and policing in Donegal he said he got the impression John White had been sent to Raphoe in 1998 to sort out the town, and in particular the McBrearty family.
“He appeared to be put in there to deal with the McBrearty’s,” he told the inquiry.
“It seemed to me that he was almost an enforcer who had been put in to do a job on the McBrearty’s. It seemed to me that he was the person tasked with that specific job.”
Mr Connolly has written extensively in the Sunday Business Post and Ireland on Sunday about garda corruption in Donegal and the harassment of the McBrearty’s.
At one point during his evidence tribunal chairman Mr Justice Frederick Morris asked Mr Connolly why he felt the McBrearty’s lost faith in the internal garda inquiry run by Assistant Commissioner Kevin Carty in 1999.
He quipped: “How long have you got?” But noted two complaints the family had about the investigation. He said witnesses central to the allegations of corruption were not interviewed while some members of the Carty team were also being blamed for wrongdoing by Mr McBrearty Snr.
Later during cross examination an emotional Mr McBrearty thanked Mr Connolly for the work he did exposing bad policing in Donegal.
