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25th Apr 2022

Pearse Doherty calls for general election in November due to Varadkar leak investigation

Hugh Carr

sinn fein general election

Gardaí have submitted a file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution on their investigation.

Pearse Doherty has said that Leo Varadkar should not succeed Micheál Martin as Taoiseach at the end of this year but that there should be a general election instead.

The Sinn Féin Deputy Leader made the comments on RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland on Monday (25 April) after doubt was cast over whether Varadkar will replace Micheál Martin as Taoiseach at the end of this year as planned due to an ongoing investigation into the Tánaiste’s leaking of a confidential Government document.

“The matter needs to be resolved,” Doherty said.

“It’s a very serious matter, we know that this is the subject of a criminal investigation for over a year and a half now.

“We know that the leader of Fine Gael and the Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has been questioned as part of that, he’s central to this investigation.

“We understand that it’s under the corruption act and now the file is gone to the DPP (Director of Public Prosecution) and it will be up to them whether a crime has been committed and whether they have the necessary threshold to look at prosecution if indeed a crime has been committed.

“What we do know is that Leo Varadkar leaked this document, he’s admitted to that.

“We do know that he went to lengths to ensure that that document got to his friend, he had that document couriered to the government jet.

“He didn’t send it to the offices of the NAGP, which are across the street from the Dáil, he sent it to his private address.

“We do know that the text messages that looked at the process to give his friend that document were deleted.

“However, earlier messages to Maitiú Ó Tuathail still were on his mobile phone, so we know that he gave confidential information, which was valuable information to that organisation at the time, to his friend, and on that basis, Leo Varadkar should not have stayed in office.

“In our view, in relation to what will happen at the end of the year in terms of a rotating Taoiseach, there shouldn’t be a rotation.

“There should be a general election and let the people decide who should be the Taoiseach of this state.”

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has refused to comment on the investigation, saying that “due process has to be followed here”.

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