A tribunal chairman has said it is “puzzling” that a garda whistleblower did not contribute “bombshell information” to an initial fact-finding enquiry into the garda handling of the murder of Baiba Saulite.
The Disclosures Tribunal at Dublin Castle is investigating alleged systems failures within the gardaí over the case of the mother-of-two, who was shot dead at her home in Swords, Co Dublin, on November 20, 2006.
The murder remains unsolved.
Retired Garda Sergeant William Hughes said the day after the murder, Detective Inspector Walter O’Sullivan told him that the Commissioner’s office had been “well aware” of threats to Ms Saulite’s life.
Mr Hughes also claimed Inspector O’Sullivan told him Ms Saulite had asked for garda protection and had been refused.
Counsel for An Garda Síochána, Mr Mícheál O Higgins SC, asked Mr Hughes why he had not relayed this “fairly seismic” information to an initial garda fact-finding investigation into the case.
Mr Hughes said he expected Insp O’Sullivan would himself give the information to the fact-finding investigation. He added that he was “reticent” to report that Ms Saulite had sought protection “when the entire structure of management seemed to be saying the opposite”.
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