Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy has indicated the force has not stepped back from supporting relatives of the Omagh Bomb victims and their efforts to bring a civil action against those who they believe were responsible for the atrocity.
In a statement, Mr Conroy said the garda position has not changed since he and other garda officers met the relatives of the victims.
Relatives of the Omagh bomb victims say they have hit a wall in their efforts to bring a civil action against those they believe were responsible for the attack in 1998.
Yesterday the Sunday Times reported that that Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy had been advised by lawyers that evidence given in a civil action might jeopardise the garda investigation into the bombing.
The Omagh Support and Self Help Group has spent almost £2m preparing its civil action and was hoping to have the case in court early next year. But that timetable may now have to be abandoned.
The chairman of the relatives support group, Michael Gallagher, said he was devastated by media reports that gardaí will not be available to testify in the civil action.
He also said he was deeply disappointed that garda authorities had not informed the Omagh families of their policy decision and that they had learned about it through the media.
Earlier this year the relatives' efforts to pursue a civil action suffered a setback when the FBI said its agent, David Rupert, would not be in a position to testify at any hearing.
Mr Rupert had allegedly infiltrated the Real IRA.
15 August will be the ninth anniversary of the Omagh bombing.
