Cowen: 'I did not evade, or attempt to evade, a Garda'

Offaly TD and Minister for Agriculture and the Marine Barry Cowen has stated he “did not evade, or attempt to evade, a Garda” during the incident which resulted in him receiving a ban for driving over the legal alcohol limit.

The minister issued a statement yesterday following the publication of an article in Sunday Times.

Cowen said The Sunday Times had “published an article referring to an incorrect Garda record dealing with the incident which occurred on 18 September 2016 despite the fact that my solicitors wrote to the newspaper in advance of publication.

“I did not evade, or attempt to evade, a Garda. Such an act would constitute a serious criminal offence and I was not charged with such an offence.  On being informed of its existence I sought a copy of this incorrect record and am taking steps under the Data Protection Act to have it corrected.

“This incorrect Garda record can only have come into the possession of the newspaper through a criminal act. It is a criminal offence for a member of An Garda Siochana to disclose any information obtained in the course of his or her duties. I am informed that An Garda Siochana has commenced a criminal investigation into the source of this leak.”

Cowen, in a personal statement to the Dail on Tuesday last, outlined details of the incident on September 18, 2016, the date of the All-Ireland football final.

“Before the match, I consumed two drinks and following the game, had a light meal before driving home to Offaly,” he said.

“On the way to drop my friend home, I was stopped by gardaí and asked to participate in a breathalyser test. I did so and both this test and a subsequent test at the local Garda station confirmed that I was over the legal alcohol limit.

Cowen told the Dail his decision to drive home after consuming any alcohol was “a stupid, stupid mistake.”

“It never happened before 18 September 2016 and it has never happened since. It is a mistake for which I am profoundly sorry.”

Cowen’s public statement yesterday concludes: “I will be instructing my lawyers to take all necessary steps to vindicate my good name and data protection rights."