Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 March 2010
496 Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the action taken to date following the discovery that Irish passports were used by perpetrators of an assassination; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12259/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe first indication we received of the use of false Irish passports in connection with the killing of Mr. Mahmoud al Mabhouh was on 4 February, when local press reports in Dubai stated that several suspects were believed to have entered Dubai on Irish passports. The Ambassador of Ireland to the United Arab Emirates, Mr. Ciarán Madden, immediately contacted the UAE Foreign Ministry to seek clarification as to the truth of these reports. On 8 February, Ambassador Madden was received at the UAE Foreign Ministry and was informed that they had no information at that time but that the matter was under investigation by the UAE's security services.
On 15 February, the Dubai Chief of Police gave a news conference during which he gave the details of fake Irish passports. My Department, in cooperation with the Gardaí and the security services, immediately commenced an investigation into the apparent use of fraudulent Irish passports, including by making contact with the Irish citizens whose passport numbers had been stolen. Ambassador Madden has maintained ongoing contact with the UAE Foreign Ministry and the Dubai Police, in addition to liaising with his German, French, Australian, Austrian and British counterparts. Ambassador Madden has met with the UAE Minister for Foreign Affairs to discuss the situation. The Dubai police have shared with us the details of the fraudulent passports they suspect were used, and we have passed these on to the investigating Gardaí.
Our investigations are ongoing, and I do not yet have categorical proof of who was responsible for the counterfeit. However, we have noted the large number of media reports which have implicated the Israeli security services and the circumstantial evidence which supports this assumption. We have also noted the comments of the Dubai police and links to Israel in the case of the forged British, French, Australian and German passports used by the suspects.
I met with the Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, in Brussels on 22 February to outline how seriously we take the misuse of Irish passports and to ask for the assistance of the Israeli authorities in establishing the facts of this case. The Israeli Minister said that he had no information on the matter. While in Brussels, I attended a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, after which my EU colleagues and I issued a statement strongly condemning the fraudulent use of EU passports.
In addition to meetings at political level, our Ambassador to Israel has met with the Europe Director of the Israeli Foreign Ministry and registered Ireland's serious concerns. The Israeli Ambassador to Ireland was invited to Iveagh House where senior officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs stressed the seriousness with which the Government viewed the matter.
I have discussed the situation with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and we are cooperating closely and sharing information. Officials from our Embassies in Paris, London and Berlin have been in contact with the Foreign Ministries of those countries to ensure a coordinated response. Senior officials of my Department have also met on two occasions with the Australian Ambassador to Ireland and shared information with him.
I have also discussed the matter with the UAE Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed, and have assured him of Ireland's cooperation. The Attorney General took the opportunity presented by his St. Patrick's Day visit to the UAE to discuss the issue with the Foreign Minister.
In recent years, there has been very significant investment in enhancing the security features of the passport book to ensure that our citizens can travel in safety. It is significant that eight of the passports were counterfeit versions of the old Irish passport which was replaced in 2005 by the modern APS Irish passport. The older passports are gradually being phased out over the next 5 years. In addition, since October 2006, all new Irish passports have a biometric chip embedded in the personal details page. This makes them extremely difficult to reproduce and we have not experienced any credible attempt to reproduce the new version.
Our primary focus in all of this has been to guarantee the security of the Irish citizens affected. There are now a total of eight false or falsely obtained Irish passports in question. We have spoken to all of the citizens who hold or have held passports with numbers provided by the Dubai authorities. We have provided them with new passports. On behalf of those individuals, and on behalf of all Irish passport holders, my Department is determined to uncover the truth of the situation. It is simply unacceptable that totally innocent citizens could have been placed in danger by the irresponsible actions of others.
