THE SHELL TO Sea campaign has made fresh calls this morning for whistleblowers in to come forward to “expose malpractice and corruption” in the Shell gas project in Corrib, Co Mayo.

The call comes in the wake of the publication of the Guerin report last week in which serious concern was expressed about the way in which whistleblower allegations at one garda station were dealt with.

Speaking yesterday after two campaigners appeared in court on charges arising from a mass protest at the pipeline site, Shell to Sea’s Terence Conway said the group is asking whistleblowers from within the ranks of An Garda Síochána, Shell, Shell contractors and any State agency involved in facilitation the project to come forward.

One former Shell subcontractor alleged last year that it was tasked with providing local residents with items like tennis courts and television sets on behalf of Shell to keep them on side. The company also claimed it had delivered €35,000 worth of alcohol to Belmullet Garda Station in December 2007. The Garda Ombudsman is now investigating these allegations.

“Despite Shell’s many attempts at powerful spin and their continued handing out of beads and baubles, the final determination of the Corrib gas project is by no means a foregone conclusion,” Shell to Sea spokesperson Maura Harrington said. “There are a number high court cases yet to be heard, and along with the current unease of people all over the country, it remains to be seen how this saga will finally turn out”.