An alternative report ordered by Minister for Justice Alan Shatter that questioned key findings of the Verrimus report into suspected surveillance at the office of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission was conducted over only four days.

Mr Shatter and the Department of Justice commissioned Irish security and data protection company Rits to conduct a “peer review” of the work conducted by Verrimus at the GSOC offices last autumn which identified three potential threats that might point to covert surveillance.



‘Peer review’

At a meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight last week, Mr Shatter indicated the Rits report was commensurate in stature with the one produced by Verrimus and also told the committee that it had produced an alternative (and innocent) theory for each of the potential threats identified. He suggested it would fall on the shoulders of retired High Court judge John Cooke to decide on which of the reports could be relied upon.

Mr Shatter did add that the Rits investigation was a “peer review” based on documentation and reports, and also conceded the company had conducted no tests.

However, the Department of Justice confirmed last night that the Rits report had been commissioned on Friday, February 14th, and the company had handed its report to the Minister on Tuesday, some four days later.



IT security

This compared to the period of weeks, including site visits by a team of technical experts, that the Newcastle-based Verrimus, a leading data and IT security company, had spent.

The development came as the most senior Government figures yesterday rallied around to support Mr Shatter, who has faced sustained political attack for two weeks over his handling of a number of issues, including the GSOC issue, his sacking of the Garda confidential recipient, the closeness of his relationship with Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan and – most acutely – when he became aware of the allegations made by a whistleblower that murder and rape investigations were compromised by malpractice and incompetence.

Fianna Fáil has this week alleged that Mr Shatter was aware of the allegations made by whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe as far back as 2012.

The Minister for Justice, who arrived back in Ireland yesterday from a meeting of EU defence ministers in Greece, made no comment last night.