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Smithwick Tribunal - 16 July 2012 - Day 113 1

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Smithwick Tribunal - 16 July 2012 - Day 113 1 A P P E A R A N C E S The Sole Member: His Honour Judge Peter Smithwick For the Tribunal: Mrs. Mary Laverty, SC Mr. Justin Dillon, SC Mr. Dara Hayes, BL Mr. Fintan Valentine, BL Instructed by: Jane McKevitt Solicitor For the Commissioner of An Garda Siochana: Mr. Diarmuid McGuinness, SC Mr. Michael Durack, SC Mr. Gareth Baker, BL Instructed by: Mary Cummins CSSO For Owen Corrigan: Mr. Jim O'Callaghan, SC Mr. Darren Lehane, BL Instructed by: Fintan Lawlor Lawlor Partners Solicitors For Leo Colton: Mr. Paul Callan, SC Mr. Eamon Coffey, BL Instructed by: Dermot Lavery Solicitors For Finbarr Hickey: Fionnuala O'Sullivan, BL Instructed by: James MacGuill & Co. For the Attorney General: Ms. Nuala Butler, SC Mr. Douglas Clarke, SC Instructed by: CSSO For Freddie Scappaticci: Eavanna Fitzgerald, BL Pauline O'Hare Instructed by: Michael Flanigan Solicitor For Kevin Fulton: Mr. Neil Rafferty, QC Instructed by: John McAtamney Solicitor For Breen Family: Mr. John McBurney For Buchanan Family/ Heather Currie: Ernie Waterworth McCartan Turkington Breen Solicitors For the PSNI: Mark Robinson, BL NOTICE: A WORD INDEX IS PROVIDED AT THE BACK OF THIS TRANSCRIPT. THIS IS A USEFUL INDEXING SYSTEM, WHICH ALLOWS YOU TO QUICKLY SEE THE WORDS USED IN THE TRANSCRIPT, WHERE THEY OCCUR AND HOW OFTEN. EXAMPLE: - DOYLE [2] 30:28 45:17 THE WORD “DOYLE” OCCURS TWICE PAGE 30, LINE 28 PAGE 45, LINE 17 I N D E X Witness Page No. Line No. OWEN CORRIGAN CROSS-EXAMINED BY MR. ROBINSON 1 15 Smithwick Tribunal - 16 July 2012 - Day 113 1 1 THE TRIBUNAL RESUMED ON THE 16TH OF JULY, 2012, AS FOLLOWS: 2 3 MR. DILLON: Chairman, we are continuing today with the 4 evidence of Mr. Corrigan, and I believe it's 5 Mr. Robinson -- 6 7 CHAIRMAN: I think Mr. Robinson -- 8 9 MR. DILLON: -- to cross-examine. 10 11 CHAIRMAN: You are ready to cross-examine? 12 13 MR. ROBINSON: I am indeed, sir. 14 15 OWEN CORRIGAN WAS CROSS-EXAMINED BY MR. ROBINSON 16 AS FOLLOWS: 17 18 1 Q. MR. ROBINSON: Mr. Corrigan, my name is Mark Robinson. I 19 appear on behalf of the PSNI. I have a number of questions 20 for you, and I hope to get through them this morning. 21 22 Now, just to start by way of background. You were 23 stationed in Dundalk, I believe, from June 1975, or you 24 became the lead detective from June 1975, is that correct? 25 A. That's correct, Mr. Chairman. 26 2 Q. And your position continued until 1989, when you went off 27 on sick leave, is that correct? 28 A. That's correct, yes. 29 3 Q. And during those years, you were the lead detective at all 30 times, is that correct? Doyle Court Reporters Ltd. Smithwick Tribunal - 16 July 2012 - Day 113 2 1 A. Yes. 2 4 Q. And you led a team of nine detective garda? 3 A. That's correct, yes. 4 5 Q. And you have given evidence that, during those years, you 5 were working 24/7 in the fight against subversives? 6 A. Yes. 7 6 Q. Now, if we turn to your day-to-day activities. Again, 8 without disclosing methodology, but one can assume that you 9 would spend your time meeting sources, is that correct? 10 A. Absolutely, yes. 11 7 Q. And was it a case that you would go to them or would they 12 come to you, or was it a mixture of both? 13 A. A mixture of both. 14 8 Q. And would it predominantly be the case that you would go 15 and speak to your sources? 16 A. Yes. 17 9 Q. And it would be correct to suggest, Mr. Corrigan, that the 18 sources, over the years, would have evolved and moved up 19 the ladder in relation to the organisations they were in? 20 A. They would, yes. 21 10 Q. So, over those 13 years, you gleaned better intelligence as 22 time went on, is that correct? 23 A. Sometimes. Not necessarily all the time, like. 24 Intelligence was varied, you know, but as Mr. Brunton here, 25 who is personally -- or presently dealing with the C77s, 26 all intelligence is valued by the authorities, you know, 27 because -- you'd want to understand intelligence, 28 Mr. Chairman, to know that the most insignificant part of a 29 report can be, in time, become an equally important part in 30 view of what comes in from another country, from some other Doyle Court Reporters Ltd. Smithwick Tribunal - 16 July 2012 - Day 113 3 1 source or whatever, you know. 2 3 CHAIRMAN: Yes. 4 A. So there is no item of correspondence by way of C77s that 5 can be discounted readily. 6 11 Q. MR. ROBINSON: That's a very important point, Mr. Corrigan, 7 and we will return to that. Now, other witnesses have 8 given evidence to this Tribunal that one way to glean 9 intelligence would be in the immediate aftermath of an 10 atrocity, and you would go out and tap your sources, so to 11 speak, in order to glean the best information, given the 12 outrage felt; you would agree with that? 13 A. Yes. 14 12 Q. And just going back to your sources, you have given 15 evidence on a number of occasions that you went out to 16 visit very dangerous people? 17 A. Absolutely. 18 13 Q. And this was a recurring event, that you went out to meet 19 very dangerous people? 20 A. Yes. 21 14 Q. And one interpretation of that is that they were members of 22 subversive organisations? 23 A. That's right, yeah. Because there is an element of risk, 24 Mr. Robinson, any time you go out in an isolated area. If 25 you had no backup, protection, or whatnot, you were leaving 26 yourself out on a limb and risking your life by meeting 27 those people. But unfortunately, I was so intent on 28 gathering as much intelligence, important intelligence, 29 that's what I spent my whole career, intelligence, and the 30 intelligence and the protection of people, members of the Doyle Court Reporters Ltd. Smithwick Tribunal - 16 July 2012 - Day 113 4 1 RUC and judiciary coming from Northern Ireland were the two 2 most important tasks in my vocabulary. I never allowed a 3 member of the RUC to come into this jurisdiction except I 4 ensured that they had -- and if they were coming 5 unofficially, I would advise them on safety precautions, 6 and I think I have said that. 7 15 Q. Yes, you have talked about your broad CV in relation to 8 your functions and your roles, isn't that correct? 9 A. Yes. 10 16 Q. And part of your CV would have included knowledge of all 11 Garda operations that were ongoing at that time in that 12 area? 13 A. I wouldn't say -- not all, but -- 14 17 Q. The vast majority of operations? 15 A. Yes, yes. 16 18 Q. And they would range from, for example, planned searches? 17 A. Yeah. Well, I wouldn't have known all the planned searches 18 because they would have been undertaken by the uniform 19 section in conjunction with, we'll say, if -- are you 20 talking about cross-border planned searches? 21 19 Q. No, searches within this jurisdiction? 22 A. Oh, no, no, searches of, we'll say, houses of subversives, 23 and that, I would be aware of all of those. No, I thought 24 you meant cross-border. 25 20 Q. No, just the ones in this jurisdiction? 26 A. No, I would be aware of all of those. 27 21 Q. And that CV would also include knowledge of security 28 matters, for example the transfer of monies North to South? 29 A. Yes. 30 22 Q. Escorts? Doyle Court Reporters Ltd. Smithwick Tribunal - 16 July 2012 - Day 113 5 1 A. Yes, not necessarily all the time. 2 23 Q. But you were the head detective? 3 A. Yeah, but we weren't always notified of all escorts. 4 24 Q. Would I be correct in suggesting the vast majority of 5 escorts you were aware of? 6 A. Some I was and some I wasn't. They didn't always -- 7 depending on their origin, if they were coming from Dublin, 8 the SDU, the Special Detective Unit, would escort them, you 9 know. Like, we didn't take over escorts of money, as such, 10 in the same way as we took over escorts of VIP persons. 11 25 Q. Moving on to the escort of VIP persons, that was something 12 that you were fully aware of? 13 A. Oh, very much so, yeah. 14 26 Q. And just to quote you from your own evidence, Mr. Corrigan, 15 Day 102, line 40, page 14: "I was the man who had the 16 collective expertise of the whole border area." That is 17 correct? 18 A. Yes. 19 27 Q. And furthermore, the "jewel in the crown" quote has been 20 used quite often, Mr. Corrigan, but the context of that 21 quotation, if I can read that to you. This was during an 22 exchange regarding speaking with Superintendent Nolan, and 23 you replied that "If I was in his position" -- namely 24 Nolan -- "I'd be -- the first man that I would go to would 25 be me.
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