Aontú tables motion for public inquiry into the murder of Det Gda Colm Horkan and the whistleblower crisis.
Opposition parties united in their support for the Aontú motion, which called for a full investigation into the deepening Protected Disclosures controversy in An Garda Siochána.
Leader Peadar Tóibín told Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan an independent inquiry is the only way to get to the truth, in the public interest.
Teachta Tóibín told the Dáil this morning: “The capital murder of a garda is one of the most serious crimes that can be committed in a country.
“Yet you have refused our demand for an independent public investigation. Colm Horkan’s family are demanding a full investigation.
“For a Minister for Justice to refuse the family of a fallen Garda a simple request of a fully independent investigation, is a defining moment in the history of this republic.”
The motion called for an official investigation into the deepening crisis, as a matter of public interest. It will be voted on tonight (WEDS).
It seeks full clarity of all the circumstances of the murder of Detective Garda Colm Horkan, shot dead with his own weapon in 2020 amid concerns raised internally about defective gun holsters.
The motion requests a comprehensive, independent investigation into the circumstances; and the handling and treatment of officers who blew the whistle on defective holsters, among other issues.
It calls on the Government to: constitute a full public inquiry that is independent of An Garda Siochána and the Department of Justice. It states former Justice Minister Helen McEntee and former Garda Commissioner Drew Harris have serious questions to answer on the matter.
Leader Peadar Tóibín said: “We used our Private Members’ time on Wednesday to call for a full public inquiry into the murder of Colm Horkan and the punishment of the whistleblowers who made protected disclosures in relation to it, and other issues.
“We support the whistleblowers’ call for a public inquiry; and the Horkan family have called for the same thing. It is the only way the truth can come to light.”
