DPP decides no prosecution for garda over 2018 firearm parts import

The Director of Public Prosecutions has decided that no prosecution will be brought against a garda who arranged the import of firearm parts for a private gun club, falsely claiming they were required for An Garda Síochána.

The import licence was signed by the Minister for Justice in July 2018 on the basis that the parts were needed for garda training. No evidence of any such training was presented to either the Garda investigation or the Fiorsú inquiry.

The matter first came to light through a protected disclosure made in 2019 after an internal Garda inquiry stalled. Fiorsú subsequently investigated and forwarded a file to the DPP. A chief superintendent’s report, completed in late 2024, made no recommendation for criminal action.

In 2025, Labour TD Alan Kelly asked the minister about the licence, and the minister confirmed that the import licence was processed and issued by the department in July 2018.

Fiorsú declined to comment on operational details, and An Garda Síochána was contacted for comment but no response was included in the report.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ / Pexels.