Exposing Corruption - Garda Whistleblower Scandal.

Information from two whistleblowers, John Wilson and Maurice McCabe, was disclosed to the Garda Confidential Recipient in 2014. The exposure and the way in which they were handled, resulted in the resignation of both the Garda Commissioner, Martin Callinan, and Ireland's Minister for Justice and Equality, Alan Shatter, as well as the retirement of Callinan's successor, Nóirín O'Sullivan. 

Former Commissioner Martin Callinan and Garda Press Officer Dave Taylor, two senior Garda officials, were behind a smear campaign against McCabe, according to an investigation into how the complaints were handled. Significant consequences were caused by the scandal to the Irish government and the Garda Siochana. It led to the resignation of Martin Callinan and Shatter from the Cabinet in March and May 2014 respectively.

A new 'Policing Authority' was established to reduce the scandal within the Garda Síochána to the lowest possible level and that the Government could have more engagement with the everyday functioning of the agency. The Irish government also promised to launch a "new era of policing".  
 

Enda Kenny, who served as Taoiseach for the majority of the scandal, apologized in Dáil Éireann for the harm that Garda officials had caused to Maurice McCabe. The Disclosures Tribunal proceeded with its investigation into the campaign against McCabe, and following the publication of the tribunal's findings, O'Sullivan handed in his resignation.  

Later, Frances Fitzgerald, a Tánaiste, resigned due to what appeared to be improper handling of emails discussing the specifics of the scandal. However, the Charleton Tribunal determined that Fitzgerald had acted appropriately in her capacity as Minister for Justice and Equality. 

Some of Garda Whistleblowers 

Maurice McCabe 

Maurice McCabe was a Garda Sergeant who atrracted national attention as a Garda whistleblower on corruption taking place in the Ireland's national police force known as Garda Síochána. In the early 2000s, he served as sergeant-in-charge at County Cavan's Garda station. 

Throughout his tenure as a station sergeant, McCabe had voiced several concerns. A few incidents involved off-duty Gardaí trying to handle suicide situations, questions about how many hours they were really working, and Gardaí using unmarked cars while they weren't on duty. McCabe submitted many complaints concerning the lack of initiative of several gardaí and the falling police standards in Bailieborough.  
 
In January 2006, McCabe resigned as sergeant-in-charge of the station after an investigation into an incident in Crossan's Pub in the town was mismanaged. The garda in charge of the investigation had not adequately investigated the incident before getting in touch with the victim. The victim was requested to drop the accusations made against the offender.  
 

Following his discovery of this, McCabe expressed his disbelief, stating that he had never witnessed such a thing within the agency.  

John Wilson 

John Wilson, also known as a Garda whistleblower, was born on April 17, 1963. He is a retired garda who came forward with information about anomalies in the driving offenses point system.  
 
After failing to receive sufficient resolution from the Garda Complaints System, Wilson initially brought evidence on Garda penalty point misbehavior to the attention of Dáil Éireann members in 2012 under the Garda Siochána Act 2005. After serving for over 30 years (since 1982), he left the force the following year. Wilson attempted to overturn the Garda disciplinary decisions in a 2013 High Court case, but was unsuccessful.