An internal Garda investigation into a wide range of serious allegations against members of the force in Co Donegal is nearing completion.
Chief Supt Denis Fitzpatrick of the Donegal division yesterday said he could not comment on reports that gardai will face charges. "The Garda inquiry hasn't finished yet. When it does we will be forwarding a file to the DPP," he said. The inquiry, which began last April, is described officially as an investigation into "the movement of arms and equipment".
It takes in different strands, including allegations made by a garda's estranged wife of hoax bomb alerts. It is alleged that gardai split up a genuine arms find to give the impression that they had uncovered a number of caches, and that they set up a hoax bomb across the Border and tipped off the RUC to try to get the credit for intelligence gathering. The gardai named by the woman have denied the claims. The team is also examining a Donegal publican's claims on how certain gardai investigated a murder in 1996. It is understood there are links between the two sets of allegations.
