Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Shatter in U-turn on bug inquiry The Government has been forced in to a dramatic by ed carty U-turn over the Garda ombudsman bugging scanfears that it was under surveillance during a podal and has ordered a retired judge to investigate. The Justice Minister said the former high Court tentially damaging investigation last year, which figure will examine all matters of relevance linked focused on convicted drugs trafficker Kieran Boylan, from Ardee, Co Meath. to allegations of a spy-ring at the watchdog. Boyle had drugs charges against him dropped And speaking in the Dail yesterday, Alan Shatter strongly rejected what he called ‘allegations and claimed he was working as an informant for that I am seeking to undermine the role of GSOC drugs squad detectives while smuggling. Gsoc confirmed three telecoms security issues or that I may want to abolish it altogether’. The decision – ten days after the scandal broke were identified in or around its Dublin offices during sweeps by counter-surveillance experts – follows rejections of the need for an inquiry. The head of the inquiry, which will run for eight from London, Verrimus, last September. Verrimus was forced yesterday to dismiss weeks, has not been named. Mr Shatter said his ‘first and only concern’ was claims its own experts’ phones were the source of to discover if Gsoc had been subject to surveil- one of the technical anomalies – an unidentified lance and added that he had previously recounted 3G network. A spokesperson said: ‘A mobile Gsoc’s own ‘conclusion there was no definitive phone cannot create a 3G base station.’ Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Marevidence of any technical or electin said in the Dáil something was tronic surveillance of Gsoc offices’, ‘fundamentally wrong’ at the core which he said was ‘disregarded’. of the administration of justice in he added that he was ‘subject to the country. continuing political attack alleging Taoiseach enda Kenny said if the that I have undermined the role of opposition leader had any evidence Gsoc’ and expressed pity there was of it he had a duty to bring it to the not ‘a more balanced debate’. attention of Mr Shatter. The terms of reference for the inAnd Sinn Féin deputy leader quiry are to be set out by Mr ShatMary Lou McDonald said the Taoter, with the advice of Attorney iseach had been forced into launchGeneral Maire Whelan, and the ing an inquiry and questioned why high Court judge will have access Mr Shatter was setting the terms of to technical experts. reference. The scandal centres on Gsoc’s Pressure: Shatter
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Activists: Pussy Riot members, believed to be Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (L) and Maria Alyokhina (R), pass media after release from a police station in Sochi yesterday
relax the cossacks: they just thought we were rubberbandits MEMBERS of Russian punk protest group Pussy Riot were briefly detained by police in Sochi yesterday. Their questioning, along with detentions of gay rights and other activists in recent days, brought political tensions to the fore at Vladimir Putin’s showcase Winter Olympics. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhina, previously jailed for a ‘punk
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prayer’ in Moscow’s main cathedral, were among nine held by police near Sochi’s ferry terminal, a popular area for fans celebrating the Olympics. Police said they were questioned in connection with a theft at their hotel, but no charges were filed. The women claimed they were manhandled, and chanted ‘Putin will teach you how to love the motherland!’ on leaving the police station.
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