Gardaí who searched airplanes accused of being used for CIA rendition flights only found racehorses and golfers onboard, the Dáil heard today.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern told the Dáil that the Garda probed six separate allegations relating to aircraft refuelling at Shannon airport, but found no evidence of wrongdoing in each case.
Greens TD John Gormley called for a parliamentary investigation into claims that shackled terrorist suspects are being transported through Irish airspace en route to secret interrogation camps elsewhere.
By Mr Ahern said during Minister's Questions: "On no occasion has the Garda received any evidence to warrant any investigation but they investigated one particular one where somebody alleged that an unmarked Boeing aircraft was observed at Shannon airport in November.
"The complaint was investigated and it was established that the aircraft in question was owned by a non-commercial Dubai state organisation and was being used on the occasion to transport racehorses from Shannon to Dubai."
He added: "Again, one of the famous jets that was allegedly involved in extraordinary rendition around the world, it in fact was on a golfing trip to Derry airport and Sligo airport and a number of other airports.
As Mr Gormley tried to intervene, Mr Ahern insisted: "No evidence."
Earlier raising the issue, Mr Gormley said that Government parties were running scared from an investigation into extraordinary renditions.
"An investigation would be the start of the process to get to the bottom of this," he said.
He added: "It is quite clear that planes which have been used for extraordinary rendition have stopped for refuelling at Shannon. That is an undeniable fact."
He also noted that Derry International Airport is expected to be the first in Europe to officially ban CIA flights.
He asked: "If Derry can do it, why can't we do it here in the Republic? What's the problem with that?"
But Mr Ahern replied: "The fact of the matter is that extraordinary rendition is banned here in any airport in the Republic — either private or public. We do not allow it."