Meanwhile over at the Morris Tribunal into Garda criminality in Donegal there have been yet more developments. I’ll try and put this in black and white so it’s clear.
A. Garda (retired) John Nicholson says it wasn’t him who forged signatures on earnings certificates.
B. It was, according to Nicholson, his dead colleague John Keogh (who obviously can’t speak for himself).
C. Nicholson pleaded guilty in court and was prosecuted for submitting false certificates in 2002.
Counsel for the Tribunal puts it to the the expert witness:
Paul McDermott SC, for the tribunal, asked: “So your conclusion is that Mr Nicholson essentially forged the name Ben Maguire on four Bernard Conlon certificates?”
Mr Nash said: “That would be correct, my lord. He would have written those.”
Mr McDermott said Mr Nash also concluded that the late garda Keogh had nothing to do with any forgery. “There was no evidence to connect garda Keogh with any signatures or the body of the writing on these documents,” Mr Nash said.
Make up your own mind. The tribunal continues, and this is not a criminal trial.