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IRA trial adjourned over secret Irish police recordings | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Revelations about police phone tapping in the Republic of Ireland have led to the first adjournment of a trial before the criminal courts. | |
Two men accused of IRA membership have had their trial adjourned "in light of recent events", according to Irish state broadcaster RTÉ. | |
The Irish government launched an investigation into the secret police recordings on Tuesday. | |
Just hours earlier police commissioner Martin Callinan had resigned. | |
Lawyers for the two men successfully applied for the adjournment at the Special Criminal Court. | |
They told the court that their clients had telephone calls with their solicitors while in police custody and before they were subsequently interviewed by officers. | |
The barristers sought disclosure of any records of the phone calls that might exist. | |
Denied | |
A prosecuting lawyer said that police were completely unaware of any recordings and the two men were in custody at Cahir and Clonmel police stations in County Tipperary. | |
The judge agreed to adjourn the trial until Thursday to allow the state to investigate further. | |
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Alan Shatter has denied he knew about the secret recordings of telephone calls into and out of police stations. | |
Mr Callinan had sent a letter to Mr Shatter's department about the secret recordings on 10 March. | Mr Callinan had sent a letter to Mr Shatter's department about the secret recordings on 10 March. |
But Mr Shatter told the Dáil (Irish parliament) he only saw the letter for the first time on Tuesday. | |
Mr Shatter said: "I know that there are reports that I knew of the system of recording in Garda stations last year, but this is not the case." | Mr Shatter said: "I know that there are reports that I knew of the system of recording in Garda stations last year, but this is not the case." |
Prime Minister Enda Kenny also denied that he sacked Mr Callinan. | |
Mr Kenny confirmed a senior government official was despatched to the police chief on Monday evening to warn him about the gravity of revelations about the secret recordings. | |
"I thought it appropriate, given the nature of the information made available to me, that the commissioner should be made aware of the gravity of how I felt about this and its implications," he said. | |
'Implausible' | |
Opposition Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said the import of the sending out an official to the police chief was clear. | |
"You essentially sacked him... Calling a spade a spade, that's what that means," he said. | |
But Mr Kenny angrily denied the allegations, responding: "I deplore what you are suggesting." | |
Senator Shane Ross said the "scenario being painted by the government" was implausible. | |
"I don't think there is a sinner outside this house who believes a word of the scenario being painted by the government," he said. | |
"Two days ago there was a cabinet crisis of a fairly hefty dimension, and suddenly to the rescue comes this bombshell of news about the system containing tapes that no-one knew about before. | |
"That was no coincidence - it's quite obvious that several people were sitting on this, waiting for an opportune time. | |
"It came to the rescue and it also served the minister and the government's purpose well in that it accelerated the resignation of Commissioner Callinan. | |
'Totally incredible' | |
"Somebody leaked a letter last night that didn't fit in with the government's scenario which said the Department for Justice knew about this on 10 March. | |
"Why this explanation is totally incredible is that nobody on God's earth can believe how a letter of this importance arrived from an officer of the state on a matter of apparently great urgency, and the minister wasn't told." | |
He added: "I believe the minister when he says he didn't see the letter until yesterday, but was anybody informed of the contents before then? | |
"If the officials knew, the political masters must have known - if they weren't told, there is something pretty rotten in the state of the Department of Justice." | |
The secret recordings date back to the 1980s, and the recording network was modernised as recently as 2008. | |
The recording system was shut down last November. | |
At least 2,485 audio recordings that were being stored at police stations around the country have been moved to police headquarters in Dublin's Phoenix Park. | |
Mr Shatter said he only received Mr Callinan's letter from his officials at 12:40 GMT on Tuesday, but did not have the chance to read it until later that evening. | Mr Shatter said he only received Mr Callinan's letter from his officials at 12:40 GMT on Tuesday, but did not have the chance to read it until later that evening. |
Mr Callinan's letter was sent to the justice department on 10 March, but Mr Shatter only received it when he returned from an official St Patrick's Day visit to Mexico. | Mr Callinan's letter was sent to the justice department on 10 March, but Mr Shatter only received it when he returned from an official St Patrick's Day visit to Mexico. |
The letter was sent by courier to the department five days before Mr Shatter left for the trip. | The letter was sent by courier to the department five days before Mr Shatter left for the trip. |
On Tuesday the the Irish government announced an inquiry into the claims of widespread secret recordings by police. | On Tuesday the the Irish government announced an inquiry into the claims of widespread secret recordings by police. |
Just hours earlier, Mr Callinan had resigned, following a controversy over whistleblowers. | Just hours earlier, Mr Callinan had resigned, following a controversy over whistleblowers. |