Noonan says revelations could ‘taint’ court proceedings

The Government fears court proceedings could be "tainted" by the revelations that phone calls to and from Garda stations were being taped and stored, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan has said. He confirmed there were "a large number of tapes" and the practice was widespread for a long period of time.

"We must proceed now in a calm and reasoned way to get the full facts to make sure that no litigation, civil or criminal, is tainted as a result. It's a fear obviously," he said. He would have assumed Minister for Justice Alan Shatter would have been briefed on the matter following the discontinuation of the practice last November.

“The Government is aware of a large number of tapes . . . so it was very widespread and was [over] a very long duration. We are not sure when it commenced but it goes back quite a distance,” Mr Noonan said after yesterday’s Cabinet meeting. “It ended last November arising from another court case. The existence of one such tape came to attention and the judge in the case decided it was inadmissible in evidence, probably on the grounds that it was obtained illegally. So that was a signal and the practice was stopped.”

Mr Noonan conceded that the issue had raised legal questions that must be addressed. "The practice was discontinued last November but, at that stage, the information which has now come to hand of it being so widespread and of the possible implications of it, that wasn't to hand," he told RTÉ's Six One News .

The Garda and the Department of Justice have been instructed to produce all facts in their possession relating to the situation.

Mr Noonan said as far as he was aware, his Cabinet colleague Mr Shatter did not have prior knowledge and was likely informed by the Taoiseach over the weekend. “One would have thought that when the practice was discontinued in November he would have been informed . . . my understanding is he wasn’t,” he said.

On whether the unfolding situation was a factor in Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan’s decision to resign, Mr Noonan reverted to the reasons outlined in the Garda Commissioner’s statement. “I heard of the resignation this morning [Tuesday]. I checked what grounds he stated and he said it was for family reasons. I don’t know what issues might have influenced him but he resigned for family reasons.”

He said he assumed Mr Shatter would make a statement on the taping and recording of phone calls .