Gardai probe if any leak of details about Cowen’s driving ban
Officers investigate if third party had access to personal data
GARDAI have launched an internal probe into the possible leaking of information about Agriculture Minister Barry Cowen’s drink-driving ban, the Sunday Independent can reveal. The initial inquiry, which may lead to a full internal investigation by the force, comes after the Fianna Fail TD apologised for a “stupid, stupid mistake” in the Dail last week.
Despite efforts to put the controversy behind him, the furore over the Offaly TD’s previously undisclosed drink-driving offence is now set to rumble on with news of the Garda probe.
An Garda Siochana said it is attempting to ascertain whether a full investigation should be carried out into whether a third party had access to information held by the force about the incident involving Cowen.
A Garda spokesman said: “An Garda Siochana is conducting a preliminary examination to ascertain if an investigation should be conducted into whether a third party had access to personal data held by the organisation in relation to an individual.”
The Garda Ombudsman declined to comment on whether it has received complaints about the leaking of information held by An Garda Siochana — but it is understood the watchdog has not initiated any inquiry into the matter at this stage.
Cowen did not wish to comment on the Garda probe when contacted yesterday and said he wants to focus on his new role in the Department of Agriculture. Speaking to the Sunday Independent, he said: “As I said in the Dail, I was on a learner permit at the time of my drink driving incident because I had mistakenly allowed my provisional licence to lapse.
“Subsequent to the incident I took lessons, passed my test and now hold a full clean licence. I would appreciate the opportunity now to focus on earning the respect and trust of people across the country through my work as agriculture minister.”
Revelations about his drink-driving offence were first reported in the Irish Independent last weekend with Cowen confirming the incident had happened and apologising profusely. Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said he was not aware of the incident — which had been the subject of rumours in political circles for three years — prior to appointing Cowen to Cabinet. The Fianna Fail leader has accepted his new minister’s apology.
Cowen was disqualified from driving for three months after he was stopped at a checkpoint on his way home from the All-Ireland Football Final in September 2016. He was breathalysed, found to be over the limit and was later issued with a fixed-charge penalty notice, €200 fine and a three-month driving ban.
Cowen, who was 49 when the incident happened, was disqualified from driving for three months because he was on a learner permit and did not hold a full licence. The chair of the road safety group PARC, Susan Gray, said last week that Cowen had told her he had never sat a driving test before his road ban and “kept letting his permit roll over”. She said he had not answered all the outstanding questions about the incident in his Dail statement, including how many learner permits he had before passing his test and whether he displayed N-plates for two years after passing it.
Cowen has privately admitted it would have been much better had he sat his test 20 years ago. He said in the Dail that the criticism he received was “fully deserved”.