McDowell denies breaching Connolly's rights
The Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, has rejected claims that he breached the constitutional rights of former journalist Frank Connolly, who heads the Centre for Public Inquiry.
Mr McDowell was under fire in the Dáil this evening for passing on information to The Irish Independent about Mr Connolly, who he claims travelled to Colombia using a false passport.
The minister told the Dáil today that the documentation used for the trip was fraudulently acquired.
He stressed that the information he released was not confidential nor did it prejudice any Garda investigation into the matter.
He said the disclosure did not in any sense breach the privacy of any individual.
