AGSI President Tim Galvin, General Secretary, John Redmond, National Executive member, Paul Wallace together with AGSI solicitor Michael Hegarty met with Minister Frances Fitzgerald yesterday (Thursday 4th June) to request a Judicial Review into the death of our colleague and friend the late Sergeant Michael Galvin in accordance with Section 109 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005.
Minister Fitzgerald has acceded to the AGSI request and she has asked the Chief Justice to invite a judge to inquire into the death of Sergeant Galvin. Either a judge of the Supreme Court or with the consent of the President of the High Court, a judge of the High Court may be appointed by the Chief Justice to conduct the inquiry.
GSOC have suspended their investigation.
General Secretary John Redmond says, “We welcome the announcement from Minister Fitzgerald and for taking seriously the views of Mrs. Colette Galvin and those of this Association. We hope this development will provide some solace to the Galvin family during this very difficult time.”
Read the statement from the Department of Justice and Equality below.
Thursday 4th June, 2015
Minister Fitzgerald to establish independent judicial enquiry into matters surrounding death of Sgt. Michael Galvin
Frances Fitzgerald TD, Minister for Justice & Equality, wishes to express her deepest sympathies to the family, friends and colleagues of the late Garda Sgt. Michael Galvin. The Minister today met with the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) and with the Association of Garda Sergeants & Inspectors (AGSI). The Minister has said that the meetings held today were highly constructive and beneficial in that they addressed a range of sensitive matters, legal issues and other factors which required careful consideration in deciding on the most constructive and effective manner of dealing with concerns and public interest issues raised. The Minister has now decided to initiate an inquiry by an independent judicial figure, in accordance with Section 109 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 into the conduct of the original GSOC investigation. Under section 109, the Chief Justice will be invited to nominate a High Court or Supreme Court judge to conduct the inquiry and to report back to the Minister. The Minister welcomes the fact that the GSOC investigation into the death of Sgt. Galvin has been discontinued. ENDS RTÉ news report, click here: http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0604/705815-gsoc-michael-galvin/
