Sportsman arrested in Ireland, suspected of passing police intel from corrupt cops to gangs
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‘High-profile sportsman’ is arrested in Ireland on suspicion of receiving information from a corrupt cop and passing it on to crime gangs
- A sportsman was arrested suspected of passing police intel onto a criminal gang
- He was arrested on Monday and released without charge after questioning
- A probationer garda was also detained in Dublin and released without charge
A high-profile sportsman was arrested on suspicion of passing police information on to a criminal gang he is allegedly associated with.
A senior source told the Independent.ie that the athlete and a probationer garda were arrested on Monday as part of an anti-corruption probe.
The sportsman, whose identity has not been shared, was questioned at Naas Garda Station in County Kildare, eastern Ireland, and released without charge.
The source said: ‘This is a garda corruption investigation in which [the sportsman’s] links to a transnational organised crime gang is a major factor.’
The Garda Síochána is the national police service of Ireland
On 20 January, a suspended Dublin-based officer was also arrested as part of an investigation into the alleged disclosure of police information to third parties without permission, and then released without charge.
The officer was reportedly already suspended from duty, and has been since corruption allegations emerged seven months ago.
Senior sources suspect that the probationer garda was passing information on to the sportsman for some time, which was relayed onto a criminal gang.
The Journal reported that a second detective garda also met with investigators to be questioned but was not arrested.
The garda was also suspended.
The sports figure is reportedly in his forties and based in Leinster.
The investigation is separate from other anti-corruption investigations into police activity.
The anti-corruption unit for An Garda Síochána was set up in 2021 following a report warning against the potential for gardaí to abuse their power.
The unit was initially planned to open by the end of 2019 to investigate the possible leaking of police intelligence to criminals, drug abuse and inappropraite contact with vulnerable victims.