Tanaiste Leo Varadkar has released a full statement in response to news that he will not face any criminal charges over the leaking of a confidential GP contract to a friend.
The DPP indicated on Wednesday that the Fine Gael leader would not have a criminal case to answer over the controversy, clearing the way for him to become Taoiseach again in December.
Mr Varadkar issued a lengthy statement on Thursday morning, following up on his short response to the media on Wednesday evening.
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In the statement he confirms that he heard about the DPP decision on Wednesday through his solicitor. He noted that this followed "a thorough and meticulous investigation carried out by An Garda Síochána involving dozens of interviews and the examination of multiple documents and devices."
He insisted his disclosure of the document to the President of the NAGP was "lawful" and saying he did so "in the public interest."
"I was determined to secure that organisation’s support for the agreement we had reached with another organisation on behalf of General Practitioners," he added.
"I accept that my use of an informal personal channel was inappropriate. It was my error and I bear sole responsibility for it. I have been held to account for those actions in the Dáil. I have apologised for it and I want to do so again.
"However, the allegations made against me, that it was anything more than error, were false. They were made by sworn political opponents of me and my Party," he maintained.
Mr Varadkar went on to stress: "I know that I did not break any law, do anything corrupt or even self-interested. That is now clear to any fair-minded person.
"Those who made these allegations went to extraordinary lengths to publicise them. Their actions were politically motivated and often highly personalised at times. The tactics and motives of those persons ought to be the subject of some reflection. It is now a matter of public record that at least one of those persons was subject to investigation in respect of their own conduct in this affair."
He says he wanted to clarify a number of other important points
He said: "The document was as it was entitled – ‘An agreement on service delivery and contractual reform.’ It was not a contract. The use of the term ‘contract’ was deliberately used to create the impression that I had interfered in some sort of competition or tender process, or conferred an advantage on somebody in doing so. This was emphatically not the case.
"The document was not classified and did not go to Cabinet. Therefore, I could not have breached Cabinet confidentiality which some have claimed. While the document was marked confidential on the day it was generated, by the time I disclosed it almost two weeks later, the contents were largely in the public domain.," he added.
"The document was not a pay deal. The State cannot enter into pay deals with self-employed contractors. There was a revised fee schedule issued by the Minister following consultations. That was released and made public long before I disclosed the document."
He further hit back at claims he was investigated for a data protection offence, saying, "this was never the case. No personal data was involved."
He also claimed that it was suggested a complaint was made against me by a health official. "This was not the case nor did anyone ever come forward to say they were a victim of a crime," Mr Varadkar stated.
"I want to thank the Taoiseach, Minister Ryan, the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party and Party members, my staff, family, partner and friends for their trust, confidence and faith in me and for their patience. It has been a difficult and uncertain period for all of us.
"I am very aware that many people and politicians are not allowed due process, the benefit of the doubt or the presumption of innocence. I am very grateful that - because of them - I was. It is something I will reflect on further.
"I also want to thank my legal advisers. I have a greater understanding now of the importance of legal representation and advice.
"I look forward to continuing my work as Tánaiste, Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment, TD for Dublin West and Leader of Fine Gael. These are responsibilities that I relish and there is so much more I want to do," he concluded.
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