Democratic Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson has told the Smithwick Tribunal he had only one source for the name of an alleged IRA mole in Dundalk Garda station, before naming the officer under House of Commons privilege.
In April 2000 Mr Donaldson named retired Det Sgt Owen Corrigan as the senior garda in Dundalk Station who had supplied information to the IRA, leading to the murder of two RUC officers.
Chief Supt Harry Breen and Supt Bob Buchanan were ambushed and killed in south Armagh on March 20, 1989, minutes after they left a meeting in Dundalk Garda station. The Smithwick Tribunal is inquiring into suggestions that members of the Garda in Dundalk colluded in the killings.
Giving evidence to the tribunal this morning Mr Donaldson denied he had used Mr Corrigan’s name “as bait” to progress his call for an inquiry.
He said he had been given the name of Mr Corrigan from a British Army agent who had infiltrated the IRA, Kevin Fulton, also known as Peter Keeley. Mr Donaldson said he had been aware of a series of atrocities on the border and concern in political circles that there may have been a mole in Dundalk gardaí.
Following his acquisition of the name of Mr Corrigan, he had consulted a senior member of the security services on whether Mr Fulton/Keeley “was who he said he was” in relation to being a British agent in the IRA.
He told Mary Laverty SC for the tribunal that Mr Fulton's/Keeley's status had been confirmed. He said if there had been any doubt about Mr Fulton /Keeley's credibility he would have expected his security source to tell him so.
Mr Donaldson said he has also spoken to Toby Harnden author of the book Bandit Country which had implicated unnamed gardaí in Dundalk station. He also said he had spoken to others "in political circles" many of whom had spoken of a potential mole among Dundalk gardaí.
But Mr Donaldson agreed with Jim O’Callaghan SC for Mr Corrigan that the only source which named Mr Corrigan was Mr Fulton/Keeley.
He rejected Mr O’Callaghan’s assertion that he had “used Owen Corrigan as bait” to progress his demands for an inquiry, saying the inquiry was not about trying “to get at” one individual. He said it was about finding the truth.
Mr O'Callaghan put it to Mr Donaldson that if Mr Corrigan was innocent, would it not be the case that Mr Donaldson had done him a great injustice.
Mr Donaldson agreed that Mr Corrigan might in those circumstances feel agreived.
But he said his statement in the House of Commons had been based on information given to him and he had acted in good faith, in the public interest. He said he made "no apology for that".
