Minister under fire over garda traffic blunders
»»Fitzgerald urged to disclose facts »»Concern over 15,000 convictions
THE Justice Minister is coming under pressure over the latest Garda scandal involving almost 15,000 wrongful road traffic convictions. Fianna Fail said Frances Fitzgerald needed to spell out when she was informed about the litany of errors announced by the Garda on Thursday. Justice spokesman Jim O’callaghan called for an urgent statement. He said: “She needs to explain what discussions she has had with the Garda Commissioner on these matters. “And she needs to spell out to the Irish people what exactly is her understanding of how these errors occurred and who is responsible. “My party and I are concerned that the manner of announcement and the lack of a coherent explanation from any quarter points to a lack of understanding of how serious this situation now is. “We need to see the minister take the initiative and come forward immediately with her account of what has happened.” Following the review of breathtesting and the issuing of fines and summonses, the garda said 14,700 drivers were taken to court without being given any opportunity to pay a penalty. The prosecutions, mostly for not displaying tax and insurance discs, are being appealed. In addition, two million breath tests were recorded by gardai when the real figure was one million. Meanwhile, the Policing Authority has appointed an Assistant Commissioner of the Garda for the first time. Detective chief superintendent Michael O’sullivan’s promotion is the first senior appointment by an independent civilian body.