Garda whistleblower scandal

The Garda Whistleblower Scandal involved the revelation of corruption and malpractice within Ireland's national police force, the Garda Síochána, and the subsequent mishandling of the complaints that had been made by serving members of the force.

In 2014, material was revealed by two whistleblowers of the Garda Síochána, Maurice McCabe and John Wilson, to the Garda Confidential Recipient. The disclosures, and the handling of the disclosures, led to the resignation of Ireland's Minister for Justice and Equality, Alan Shatter, and the Garda Commissioner, Martin Callinan. It also led to the retirement of Callinan's successor as Commissioner, Nóirín O'Sullivan.

A subsequent investigation into the handling of the complaints found that McCabe was subjected to a smear campaign orchestrated by senior Garda officials, namely, Garda Press Officer Dave Taylor and former Commissioner Martin Callinan.^[1][2][3] The scandal had huge ramifications for both the Garda Siochana and the Irish government. It led to the resignation of Martin Callinan in March 2014,^[4] and Shatter from the Cabinet in May 2014.

A new 'Policing Authority' was established to ensure that scandal within the Garda Síochána remained at a minimum and that the Government could have more involvement with the daily operations of the organisation. The Irish government also pledged to launch a "new era of policing".^[5] Enda Kenny, who was Taoiseach for the majority of the scandal, apologised in Dáil Éireann for the damage caused to Maurice McCabe by Garda officials.^[6][7][8] The Disclosures Tribunal continued the investigation into the campaign against McCabe, and O'Sullivan resigned after the tribunal's findings were published.^[9] Frances Fitzgerald, a later Tánaiste,^[10] resigned over apparent mishandling of emails that discussed details of the scandal. She was later proven to have acted appropriately as Minister for Justice and Equality by the Charleton Tribunal.^[11]