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Alan Shatter launches scathing attack on Enda Kenny

Former justice minister Alan Shatter
Former justice minister Alan Shatter Former justice minister Alan Shatter

THE Republic's former justice minister Alan Shatter has launched a scathing attack on Taoiseach Enda Kenny saying he has "a casual relationship with the truth".

Mr Shatter said he was "forced to resign" by the taoiseach adding that the last three years were the most difficult of his life.

He was speaking as he welcomed the judgment of the Court of Appeal on Thursday, which found "seriously damaging" conclusions in the Guerin Report were made in a manner that breached Mr Shatter's constitutional rights.

The court said the Republic's government must now decide how to respond to the conclusions in the report, which examined Mr Shatter's handling of complaints of Garda whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe.

Mr Shatter said he believed he was now entitled to an apology from Mr Kenny for the manner in which he was treated.

He told RTÉ that the Fennelly Commission Report established clearly that the taoiseach, in the account he gave to it, had "a casual relationship" with the truth.

Mr Shatter added that he was subject to false charges in the Guerin Report. He said the report should now be withdrawn from both the Oireachtas and the Dáil record corrected.

"The unfortunate reality is that in some areas, the Taoiseach has a casual relationship with the truth," Mr Shatter said.

He told the Today with Sean O'Rourke programme on Radio One that "the Taoiseach was wrong to have accepted the report when I sounded a warning as to how Mr Guerin conducted his inquiry, he was wrong to have ignored what I said in my resignation letter, he was wrong to have ignored what I said when I put these matters on the Dáil record in June of 2014".

Mr Shatter added that he was "given no choice but to resign".

"The Taoiseach’s comment was that he could no longer express confidence in me as a consequence of Mr Guerin's report," he said.

The former minister added that despite a flawed report being produced, "neither the Taoiseach nor any other member of the Dáil placed on the Dáil record that Guerin's procedures were flawed and that his conclusions were mistaken".

Mr Shatter also said he was disappointed by the lack of support he received from his parliamentary party while fighting a three-year legal battle.

A spokesman for the taoiseach said he rejected Mr Shatter's comments as "completely out of hand".