FORMER GREEN Party leader Trevor Sargent has resigned as Minister of State with responsibility for Food after admitting to unlawfully contacting a garda about a case involving a constituent.
In a Dáil speech yesterday evening Mr Sargent said that while his actions did not constitute a criminal offence, his communication could be deemed not lawful. “In this regard, I accept I made an error of judgment. Accordingly I hereby tender my resignation forthwith as Minister of State for Food and Horticulture.”
He said a victim of an assault had come to him in 2008 to voice his frustration at the slow progress of a case. The constituent alleged he had been head-butted when he reported vandalism to parents of a child he had seen trying to remove a road sign in their housing estate.
“My intention was to ensure the Garda were aware I had received a representation from a victim in an alleged assault and that the full preparation of the case would benefit from witnesses not yet interviewed being interviewed before proceeding further. The victim was afraid for his safety, meanwhile,” said Mr Sargent.
In his letter to the garda investigating the case in 2008 the TD expressed his shock that the constituent, Dominic McGowan, was being charged with an offence rather than being called as a witness in the case and he added: “It is, I believe, wholly inappropriate to proceed with this summons at this point.”
Mr McGowan was later convicted of threatening and abusive behaviour and fined €500. His assailant was sentenced to four months for the assault but is appealing.
Last night Green Party leader John Gormley said he was greatly saddened by Mr Sargent’s decision to resign, while Taoiseach Brian Cowen said he had accepted Mr Sargent’s resignation “with the utmost regret in the circumstances”.
Mr Cowen said Opposition claims that leaks about Mr Sargent had come from Fianna Fáil were “beneath contempt” and “without foundation”. Mr Gormley said: “I don’t have all of the facts in my possession as of yet so I’m not going to jump to any conclusion.
“It isn’t always best to make comments when you’re in such an emotional state, and that’s why we want to refrain from speculation at this stage. We’re pretty shell-shocked at the moment. Under those circumstances, I don’t want to give any hostages to fortune.”
Government sources said Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern was “livid” at the accusations being made by Labour leader Eamon Gilmore and the Fine Gael spokesman on justice, Charlie Flanagan, insinuating he had some involvement in a leak.
Mr Ahern said the first he knew of the affair was when he heard it on the radio news at 1pm yesterday.
He had later checked with the secretary general of his department and was assured they would not have been in possession of any of the material that was in the media about the case. Sources close to the Minister pointed out that there was a court hearing last Friday at which the individual convicted of assaulting Mr McGowan appealed his conviction. The full hearing of that appeal was adjourned until March 2nd.
After Mr Sargent’s resignation Eamon Gilmore had said an explanation was required about the leaking of letters involved in the case. “Are we to believe that it was purely coincidental that this followed so soon after the enforced resignation of Willie O’Dea last week?” he asked.
Labour Party Justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte described the episode as “the empire strikes back.”
Mr Flanagan said the leak was part of “a series of tit-for-tat political hits” affecting Government stability.
He said the Minister for Justice had questions to answer about how a journalist came to have in his possession a letter written by a Government Minister to a garda about events two years ago.
Meanwhile, Mr McGowan defended Mr Sargent’s actions and said he was “shocked and saddened” by the resignation. Mr Sargent had merely defended his legal rights, he said. “I have no connections with the Green Party whatsoever, but I contacted numerous politicians about the situation that took place. It was just that Mr Sargent was the only one that got back to me,” he said.