THE family of a Garda Superintendent dismissed from the force in 1928 for allegedly accepting a £100 bribe has asked the Government formally to reverse the decision.
In a letter to the Attorney General and the Minister for Justice, written on behalf of Mr William Geary, who will be 100 years old tomorrow, the family claims he was never allowed to defend himself against the charge that he accepted bribes from the IRA when based in Kilrush, Co Clare.
After his dismissal, Mr Geary emigrated to America, vowing never to return to Ireland until his name was cleared, said John Patrick Collins, Mr Geary's godson and author of the letter.
In it, he said: "I realise it may be a difficult decision for your government to sort out the facts going back 70 years. It would seem possible, however, for the government to acknowledge that he did not receive due process in 1928 and to restore him to his former rank and honour."
The letter has been prompted by Mr Geary's review of his evidence file. The file was released to him by the Government on February 3rd after a seven-decade letter-writing campaign, a September request under the Freedom of Information Act and inquiries from The Irish Times.
Mr Geary and his family believe the file "consists of an accusation with no corroborative proof whatsoever. David Neligan [Chief Superintendent of the Detective Branch, who investigated the accusation against Mr Geary] acted as both the accuser and the tribunal of dismissal. Clearly, William Geary was denied due process. His request - at the time - for counsel and to see the evidence was denied."
In New York last week Mr Geary said his government file, which was released on humanitarian rather than Freedom of Information Act grounds, was incomplete. Copies given to The Irish Times reveal that names on the documents were blacked out.