merrion street

The Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan, has paid tribute to Sergeant Maurice McCabe as Sergeant McCabe has announced his retirement from An Garda Síochána.

Minister Flanagan said:

I want to thank Sergeant Maurice McCabe for the distinguished service with which he has served the State as a member of An Garda Síochána. As Mr Justice Peter Charleton eloquently outlines in his Tribunal Report, Sergeant McCabe is an exemplar of many of the best attributes of a Garda. His strong adherence to the upholding of high standards in An Garda Síochána is what we, as citizens, would wish to see in every serving member. 

Maurice McCabe leaves a significant legacy from his career in An Garda Síochána. His determination to question the attitude of colleagues to their service to the citizens of this country, which they are pledged to serve, must be applauded. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Sergeant McCabe for bringing into the open serious failings. In so doing, he has given the organisation which he served in for thirty years a huge opportunity to transform.

I am very conscious that Sergeant McCabe and his family suffered greatly as a consequence of his courage. They have shown incredible resilience in appalling circumstances. I want, once again, to place on record my appreciation for the steadfastness shown by Sergeant McCabe, and indeed his family, in the face of the campaign of calumny conducted against him.

I know from speaking to him that the crystal clear vindication of Sergeant McCabe in the Third Interim Report of the Disclosures Tribunal was a great relief to him and to his wife Lorraine, their children and wider family. To have his actions recognised after such a prolonged period undoubtedly lifted a great weight from his shoulders. The report afforded him the highest accolade where it states that “he has done the State considerable service”. I agree wholeheartedly with that view.

The news of Sergeant McCabe’s retirement is an opportunity for him to finally close that dark chapter in his life. He leaves An Garda Síochána with his personal and professional reputation not just intact but significantly enhanced. I want to wish Maurice McCabe a very long and happy retirement.

I will meet with him in the near future and I look forward very much to that engagement.