Smithwick Tribunal - 29 May, 2013 - Day 130 1
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I N D E X Witness Page No. Line No. OWEN CORRIGAN CROSS-EXAMINED BY MR. O'CALLAGHAN 3 5 Smithwick Tribunal - 29 May, 2013 - Day 130 1 1 THE TRIBUNAL RESUMED ON THE 29TH OF MAY, 2013, AS FOLLOWS: 2 3 MR. DILLON: We are going to continue today with the 4 evidence of Mr. Corrigan, who has rejoined us now, having 5 been through the travails of his medical treatment. 6 7 Just one or two matters of housekeeping. We are here, I 8 understand we have this room, this courtroom, for three 9 days, until Friday, and, as I understand it, it's your 10 intention to conclude all matters by Friday. Now, what we 11 have to deal with between now and Friday is the conclusion 12 of Mr. Corrigan's evidence, and there are some 13 miscellaneous matters which arise which can be dealt with 14 in an afternoon, whether it be -- I think people probably 15 aren't ready to deal with them this afternoon, but maybe 16 tomorrow afternoon or Friday afternoon, and there may be 17 some matters in relation to submissions. My suggestion to 18 you, Chairman, is that anything in relation to submissions 19 should wait until all matters have been dealt with. At 20 that point, everybody will have the complete picture of 21 what's in issue, if I can put it that way, what they have 22 to deal with in terms of submissions. So, if that issue 23 could be parked 'til the very end, if indeed it arises, but 24 left to the very end. 25 26 CHAIRMAN: Well, Mr. Corrigan is the last witness, and when 27 his evidence is concluded -- 28 29 MR. DILLON: But, in addition, there are a few 30 miscellaneous matters that can be worked in, and we can do Doyle Court Reporters Ltd. Smithwick Tribunal - 29 May, 2013 - Day 130 2 1 that either tomorrow or Friday. 2 3 CHAIRMAN: Yes. 4 5 MR. DILLON: So, if you are agreeable to that schedule, 6 Mr. Corrigan was being examined by Mr. O'Callaghan. 7 Mr. O'Callaghan will continue with his examination. 8 9 CHAIRMAN: Are you ready, Mr. O'Callaghan? 10 11 MR. O'CALLAGHAN: I am ready, Chairman. Chairman, just at 12 the outset, can I say that it's just Mr. Corrigan's 13 cross-examination by me today, and I am going to finish him 14 today, but what he was proposing was that, I was going to 15 suggest this to you, that we would have an hour of my 16 questioning of Mr. Corrigan, then we would take a break and 17 that we would come back for another hour. I'm just -- he 18 has said to me -- I can ask him questions about this, and I 19 will do so presently, but just in terms of it, he didn't 20 think he was up to much longer than two hours, but maybe 21 we'll start. 22 23 MR. DILLON: Does he have an idea of how long the break 24 should be? 25 26 MR. O'CALLAGHAN: I would have thought 15 minutes, half an 27 hour. 28 29 MR. DILLON: 15 minutes. 30 Doyle Court Reporters Ltd. Smithwick Tribunal - 29 May, 2013 - Day 130 3 1 CHAIRMAN: Very well. 2 3 MR. DILLON: Mr. Corrigan is already sworn. 4 5 OWEN CORRIGAN CONTINUED TO BE CROSS-EXAMINED BY 6 MR. O'CALLAGHAN AS FOLLOWS: 7 8 CHAIRMAN: Very good. You are still under oath, 9 Mr. Corrigan. I know it's a long time since you have been 10 here. 11 12 1 Q. MR. O'CALLAGHAN: Mr. Corrigan, are you aware that this is 13 your 16th day giving evidence to the Tribunal? 14 A. I am. 15 2 Q. And I think the last occasion upon which you gave evidence 16 was the 1st of August of last year, which was Day 119 of 17 the Tribunal; do you recall that? 18 A. I don't, no. 19 3 Q. Mr. Corrigan, grab the larger microphone, just bring that 20 closer to your mouth and answer into that. Since then, you 21 have had a triple bypass, is that correct? 22 A. That's correct, yes. 23 4 Q. Can you just briefly tell the Chairman, how is your 24 condition now and are you happy to give evidence for two 25 hours today, as I suggested to the Chairman? 26 A. Well, I'll give evidence as long as my health holds up. I 27 can't give any guarantee as to what -- I'm just on 28 day-to-day, you know. 29 5 Q. Okay. You may recall on the last occasion I was 30 cross-examining you and taking you through two books of Doyle Court Reporters Ltd. Smithwick Tribunal - 29 May, 2013 - Day 130 4 1 documents, do you recall that? 2 A. No, I don't. 3 6 Q. Well, anyway, I did, and I took you through two books of 4 documents. We finished with the first book and the second 5 book we were working our way through, we had got to tab 14 6 of that. And, Chairman, Mr. Mills has a copy of that book, 7 so, if needs be, he can put it up on the screen when I come 8 to those documents. 9 10 But do you recall on the last occasion we looked at the 11 origins of the Tribunal of Inquiry here, Mr. Corrigan; I 12 asked you questions about the allegations of collusion? 13 A. Yes. 14 7 Q. You recall that. And I questioned you about the collusion 15 allegation and how it really came to light with the 16 publication of Mr. Harnden's book, isn't that correct? 17 A. That's correct, yes. 18 8 Q. And do you recall that? 19 A. I do, yes. 20 9 Q. And we looked early on in your cross-examination by me at 21 documents between the RUC and Mr. Harnden which revealed 22 how the RUC had assisted Mr. Harnden in drafting the book, 23 do you recall that? 24 A. I do, yes. 25 10 Q. And we saw, after that, how Mr. Harnden's book was the 26 catalyst for Mr. Myers' article on the 10th March, 2000, do 27 you recall that? 28 A. I do, yes. 29 11 Q. We then looked at the allegations that had been made by 30 Jeffrey Donaldson on the 13th April, 2000, and how those Doyle Court Reporters Ltd. Smithwick Tribunal - 29 May, 2013 - Day 130 5 1 allegations had been brought to Mr. Donaldson's attention 2 by Peter Keeley, alias Kevin Fulton, do you recall that? 3 A. I do, yes. 4 12 Q. We then looked at the Weston Park Agreement and how two 5 governments decided that allegations of collusion should be 6 looked at, and one of those allegations was the Breen and 7 Buchanan murders, do you recall that? 8 A. I do, yes. 9 13 Q. And we looked at how Judge Cory was dismissive of the 10 evidence or information put into the public domain by 11 Mr. Harnden and Mr. Myers because he said that they built 12 them on hypotheses that weren't correct, do you recall 13 that? 14 A. I do, yes. 15 14 Q. Do you recall that Judge Cory indicated, however, that, 16 because of allegations made to him by Peter Keeley in a 17 letter sent to him on 9 September, 2003, he suggested that 18 a tribunal of inquiry would be appropriate, do you recall 19 that? 20 A. I do, yes. 21 15 Q. And, in particular, the allegation that was made by Peter 22 Keeley was that he told Judge Cory that you had telephoned 23 the Provisional IRA to tell them that Breen and Buchanan 24 were at the Garda station; do you recall that allegation 25 that was being made? 26 A. I do, Mr. Chairman. 27 16 Q. And when I was cross-examining you, I took you through the 28 evidence of Mr. Keeley, and, in fact, during his 29 cross-examination, he accepted that what he said to Judge 30 Cory was wrong, do you recall that? Doyle Court Reporters Ltd. Smithwick Tribunal - 29 May, 2013 - Day 130 6 1 A. I do, yes. 2 17 Q. And he said, in fact, all he had heard was that a man 3 called Mickey Collins had said "our friend helped out," and 4 he assumed that was you, do you recall that? 5 A. I do, yes. 6 18 Q. He also gave evidence about other allegations against you 7 relating to the Fintan Callan Céilí House and Narrow Water 8 and Omeath, which were vague allegations, do you recall 9 that? 10 A. I do, yes. 11 19 Q. We also looked on the last occasion at the evidence of 12 Peter Ingram or Ian Hurst, the only other person who was 13 giving any evidence against you, and what he said about 14 you, do you recall that? 15 A. I do, yes, yes. 16 20 Q. He said he had got information about you from a man called 17 Witness 82, who had worked in the force, do you recall 18 that? 19 A. I do, yes. 20 21 Q. And fortunately, Witness 82 was able to come to give 21 evidence here, and I brought you through the evidence he 22 gave, which said that what Mr.