The Disclosures Tribunal has heard tapes from the OÂ’Higgins Commission in which counsel for the then Garda Commissioner admits being instructed by her to question the motivation and credibility of Maurice McCabe.

This module of the Tribunal is examining whether the Garda Commissioner relied on a false allegation of abuse against Garda Whistleblower Maurice McCabe to discredit him at the OÂ’Higgins Commission in 2015.

Today, counsel for the Tribunal said there did not appear to be a plan to make the suggestion at the O'Higgins Commission that Sgt McCabe had once abused a child – an allegation that had been declared by the DPP as false.

But Kathleen Leader told the Tribunal that Commissioner OÂ’Sullivan does appear to have authorised the questioning of McCabeÂ’s motive and was not the only person alerting the Dept of Justice as to what was happening at the Commission.

The statement of former Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald was read out this afternoon, in which she denied having knowledge of the strategy to discredit Maurice McCabe.
The Tribunal has been adjourned until Friday, due to the vast amount of documents furnished to it in recent weeks.