A Garda Representative Association representative has denied he was "trying to set up" members of the detective branch in Donegal to take the blame for two bags of suspect explosives which have gone missing.
Garda Martin Leonard denied the suggestion under questioning by Morris tribunal lawyer Mr Peter Charleton.
Garda Leonard told the tribunal that following a tip-off he found the bags near the Oatfield sweet factory and brought them to Letterkenny Garda station along with Garda P.J. Thornton, on June 4th, 1994. There were no detectives at the station, he said.
Mr Charleton read from Garda Leonard's statement of April 18th, 2000, where he said he "took the bags back to Letterkenny Garda station and informed members of detective branch," which contradicted this evidence. Garda Leonard said the detectives had been informed at a later date by Garda Thornton.
Mr Charleton asked why it was not until 2003 that Garda Leonard and Garda Thornton said the find had been handed over to Det Jim Leheny. "Are you trying to set up DS Leheny?" he asked. "Of course I'm not and I resent the remark," said Garda Leonard. "You're asking a police officer if I would set up a police officer or anybody else. I certainly would not."
Earlier, Garda Thornton said he "smelled a rat" when asked to sign a statement by the Carty inquiry team concerning the Oatfield find. The garda said Det Sgt (now Det Insp) Michael Keane approached him to make a statement to the Carty team on the explosives find.
"He asked me where was the stuff now, I told him I hadn't a clue. I knew it wasn't in the gym where it lay for years," Garda Thornton told Mr Brian Murphy BL, who represents Det Garda Noel McMahon.
Garda Thornton said Det Sgt Michael Keane told him, "put that in your statement that you just checked the gym today and it wasn't there," but he refused.
"I smelled a rat," he said. "I found the stuff, I brought it to the Garda station, and he wanted me to say it was gone now and nobody else had any contact with it."
Garda Thornton said he told Det Sgt Keane he had handed the find over to Det Sgt Leheny. He had also told detectives Martin Anderson and Patrick Cafferkey about the find.