Pat Carey, pictured in May 2015 Source: Rollingnews.ie

FORMER FIANNA FÁIL minister Pat Carey has launched a High Court action against the Garda Commissioner, the Attorney General, and Independent News and Media following the leaking of allegations to the media last November.

The High Court action was officially lodged last Thursday 19 May. The nature of the action is not yet known.

Carey will now have one year from that date to move upon that action.

Last November the former TD stepped down as the party’s director of elections and resigned his membership of the party following the leaking of details concerning a Garda investigation involving a former government minister.

He also quit his roles with several organisations he had been involved with.

At the time he was Fianna Fáil’s director of elections for the then forthcoming general election. He was subsequently replaced by Cork TD Billy Kelleher.

Carey said at the time that he did not know if he was the minister at the centre of the investigation, but was resigning in the wake of what he said was “rumour and innuendo” regarding his name.

In a statement at the time Carey “absolutely and unconditionally” denied impropriety in relation to those allegations.

Carey has never been charged in any way with regard to the investigation first reported in the media on 10 November last.

When contacted today he declined to comment on the ongoing action.

At the time An Garda Síochána confirmed that it would investigate how information concerning the criminal investigation had been obtained by the media. It was unclear at that time as to whether the leak had emanated from within the gardaí.

A former minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs and Government Chief Whip, 68-year-old Carey served as TD for Dublin North-West from 1997 until losing his seat at the 2011 general election.

He played a prominent role in last year’s same-sex marriage referendum where he advocated for a Yes vote, after coming out as gay during the course of the campaign.

Comments are closed on this article as it concerns an ongoing court action