Corruption in ireland (Part 24563)

Victor

How does one "loose" 68,000 files?

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/breaking/2468746?view=Eircomnet

Ahern has no explanation for missing 1974 files
From:ireland.com
Tuesday, 3rd February, 2004

The Taoiseach has said he has formed no view on whether there should be a further inquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings or on what shape such an inquiry should take.

Mr Ahern also said he had no explanation for how some 68,000 files on the bombings appeared to have "vanished" from the Department of Justice's records.

Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon, Mr Ahern said he wanted to wait until the Oireachtas sub-committee, which is examining the Barron report, has completed its hearings and issued its own findings."I think we should wait until the end of the process," he said.

He said the Northern Ireland Office and previous secretaries of state for Northern Ireland had tried to find files to assist the process but it had not seemed to be possible to find the records.

Mr Ahern said previous inquiries by "high-standing people" into how the files had disappeared had taken place. He did not see a situation where there would be a new inquiry, he said.

Mr Ahern said additional searches had been done over the years but the files had not been found. Sometimes files had turned up a year late when records were released under the 30-year rule, Mr Ahern said.

"It is a fact a large number of files vanished," he said. Mr Ahern said there had been investigations by the Garda Commissioner and he could look up the reports on the matter again.

Mr Ahern was responding to the Labour leader Mr Pat Rabbitte, whoi asked whether, given the Dublin and Monaghan bombings were "the greatest act of mass murder in the history of this State", it wasn't "extraordinary" that the files had gone missing in the Department of Justice.


Mr Ahern said he understood Mr Justice Barron's separate report into two other bombings in Dublin in 1972 and 1973 would be delivered "in the coming months".

Mr Justice Barron appeared before the Oireachtas sub-commitee today and defended his criticisms of the Irish Government's efforts to find those responsible for the atrocities.

Sparks

Originally posted by Victor
How does one "loose" 68,000 files?

From what I've heard, it's not 68,000 files. It's 136,000, because the copies of the DoJ files which were in the possession of the Gardai, have also mysteriously vanished.

Personally, I blame that damn shredder fairy....

sceptre

Originally posted by Victor
How does one "loose" 68,000 files?

Gross incompetence or collusion, take your pick.

As for explaining the loss of 68,000 (or 136,000) files, make up one fire, one flood, one office move, one reorganisation when any small department was merged into Justice and misfiling when files were sent to be shr^H^H^H scanned to make sure they wouldn't go missing. Say you've had at least two internal enquiries that weren't important enough to mention at the time and you don't see the point in another one. Under no circumstances mention the special branch and the possibility of theft or deliberate destruction of government property. Alternatively, say it must have happened when the "other shower" were in power and that you're actually quite appalled really. Make some statement that doesn't make any sense like "It is a fact a large number of files vanished" and hope that the press dogs go home.

Plausible deniability will almost certainly ensure that there's no fallout directed at any particular person on this one, assuming that they want us to just ignore it.