Confidentiality of tribunals of inquiry.

political analyst

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30498694.html

In 2011, Sarah Carey resigned from The Irish Times after she admitted under oath to the Moriarty Tribunal (after an earlier denial) that she had leaked information that indicated that Denis O'Brien had donated money to other political parties as well as to Fine Gael.

Given that tribunals of inquiry are meant to get to the truth, why would the chairperson of a tribunal have a problem with the supply of factual information to the press?

Victor

Sometimes, to get to the final truth, you need to keep certain things private.

Sometimes, things are private. For example, in desiring to know whether you shot the sheriff, I don't particularly need to know your underwear size.

Peregrinus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058207358/confidentiality-of-tribunals-of-inquiry

At the time she leaked this information, she was working for ESAT and she herself was under investigation by the Tribunal. She leaked the information in an attempt to create a false trail and distract the Tribunal's focus from her own role. And then she compounded the situation by denying to the Tribunal that she had been the source of the leak.

GM228

Given that tribunals of inquiry are meant to get to the truth, why would the chairperson of a tribunal have a problem with the supply of factual information to the press?

To add to what @Peregrinus has said, she wasted their time initially by denying it as they had to spent a lot of time and effort trying to trace the leak, she leaked confidential information which otherwise was not in the public domain as it was part of the Tribunals private investigation, factual or otherwise she hindered the work of the Tribunal and that is a criminal offence.

Michael Moriarty was correct to have a problem with her!

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117851874#Comment_117851874

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117851970#Comment_117851970

If the Tribunal already had the information about that businessman's donation to political parties other than Fine Gael then how did the leaking of the information create a false trail? How was the progression of the Tribunal's work dependent on finding out who leaked the information?

GM228

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117853566#Comment_117853566

Because the Tribunal wanted to know who leaked the information and it caused a lot of issues for them because they got that information on the strict condition of it being kept confidential, the leak was a very serious breach of any confidentiality and a potential criminal offence, the Tribunal couldn't just ignore that and carry on with full credibility if they simply ignored trying to find the leak.

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117854783#Comment_117854783

If the tribunal was going to use the information then wouldn't that mean it being referred to in a public hearing (as opposed to the secrecy of a commission of investigation)? The information itself wouldn't be indicative of who supplied it to the tribunal.

GM228

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117874034#Comment_117874034

The information was confidential, that's the issue, weather or not it would be used is not the point, and not all of it was to be made public in tbe hearings anyway.