Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has been interviewed by detectives from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation about the leaking of a confidential document to his friend Dr Maitiú Ó Tuathail.
The Irish Times reports that Mr Varadkar was interviewed on Friday, April 9th. Dr Ó Tuathail was also interviewed by investigating gardaí, though not on the same date.
Both men were interviewed under caution and neither was arrested. They made appointments with gardaí to be interviewed.
When Mr Varadkar was spoken to a long series of questions about the case were put to him.
The investigation is into a complaint made to the Garda by an official within the Department of Health into the leak of a new GP contract in April 2019.
Mr Varadkar has accepted he leaked the document. However, it remains unclear whether it was a criminal offence, with the Garda investigation focused on that matter and gathering up evidence to submit to the DPP for a decision on that issue.
Mr Varadkar, who was taoiseach at the time, leaked a confidential copy of a proposed new GP contract to his friend Dr Ó Tuathail.
The contract contained details of the deal the government had provisionally agreed with the Irish Medical Organisation. At the time Dr Ó Tuathail was president of the National Association of GPs (NAGP), a rival organisation representing GPs that is now defunct.
Apology
Mr Varadkar apologised for his actions in the Dáil, and survived a Sinn Féin vote of no confidence, after the leak was first disclosed by Village magazine last year. He insisted he had not broken the law, and defended his actions by saying he had circulated the contract to encourage NAGP members to agree to it.
More than a dozen witnesses have been interviewed to date. It was expected both men would be interviewed as they are the main figures of interest in the investigation.
Mr Varadkar has insisted his legal advice has always been that he did not break the law in sharing the document.
In reply to queries, Garda Headquarters on Sunday morning said: “An Garda Síochána does not comment on ongoing investigations or on named individuals.”
