The Taoiseach has rejected calls for an inquiry into why the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided to prosecute a retired garda and seven serving gardaí in Limerick.
Micheál Martin said the Government cannot interfere with the decisions of the DPP.
Four serving gardaí and a retired superintendent were acquitted by a jury of 39 charges of unlawfully interfering in road traffic prosecutions in January after an eight-week trial.
The State dropped all charges against three others earlier this week.
All seven serving gardaí have been reinstated.
The Garda Representative Association has called for an independent public inquiry into the prosecutions.
Speaking on Limerick's Live 95, the Taoiseach said he accepted morale in the force in Limerick is low as a result of these cases, but he said the matters were dealt with in the courts and a public inquiry "cannot be the reflex to every issue".
He said the DPP is independent "and that has to be the case".
"The last thing we need is a drawn-out public inquiry," he added.
