A former Garda Assistant Commissioner has described a key witness for the Smithwick Tribunal as untrustworthy and dishonest.
Joe Egan, who retired from the force in 2005, said he had met with Peter Keeley, a Newry man who claims he worked for the British Army as an agent inside the IRA, but he did not think he was reliable and honest.
Mr Keeley had claimed that he was told by a leading IRA figure that Owen Corrigan, then a detective garda in Dundalk, was passing information to subversives.
Mr Corrigan has always denied the allegation. Mr Keeley has yet to give evidence to the tribunal.
The former garda chief also confirmed that the British domestic intelligence service, MI5, directly briefed the Garda intelligence, but that it only passed information through the RUC Special Branch.
The Smithwick Tribunal is investigating claims that a garda colluded with the IRA by passing on information about a meeting being attended by two senior RUC officers in Dundalk Garda Station on 20 March, 1989.
Chief Supt Harry Breen and Supt Bob Buchanan were both murdered in an IRA ambush just minutes after leaving the station.
Retired Det Sgt Owen Corrigan and former Sgts Leo Colton and Finbarr Hickey all deny that they passed information to the IRA.
Mr Egan said that the South Armagh unit of the IRA could have arranged the ambush within 20 to 30 minutes of being told of the RUC men having arrived in the station.
Mr Egan said he believed he would have been told at one of the many meetings he had with the RUC that there were concerns about Mr Corrigan. He never was.
The witness was also asked about Patrick Joseph Blair, known as 'Mooch' Blair who was, he said, a leading IRA figure in South Armagh/North Louth. When the Good Friday Agreement was reached, he said Garda intelligence was that he did not go along with it.
In relation to the kidnapping of Mr Corrigan in 1995, the former Assistant Commissioner said he was told by gardaí at the time that it was probably relating to Mr Corrigan smuggling and "tricking around with legal drink and not paying for it".
In response to questions by Jim O'Callaghan, counsel for Mr Corrigan, Mr Egan said that what Mr Keeley had told them was misleading and absolutely incorrect when he was trying to get the gardaí to investigate something. The witness declined to elaborate.
Under cross-examination by counsel for Mr Keeley, Mr Egan accepted there was widespread smuggling along the border but said there was a difference between IRA members smuggling and the IRA itself smuggling.
Earlier today, Judge Smithwick granted Patrick 'Mooch' Blair legal representation at the tribunal.
Counsel for Mr Blair had sought to be allowed represent his client and the Judge agreed that he was entitled to a junior counsel and solicitor as Mr Blair would be referred to in evidence.
