Barry Cowen has disputed an alleged garda record as incorrect and insisted he did not attempt to evade an officer on the night he was found to be drink-driving.
The Minister for Agriculture issued a statement in response to an article in a Sunday newspaper.
Mr Cowen said it was a “criminal offence” for a garda to release such details about him to a newspaper and it is a “disgraceful attempt” to cause him “the maximum personal and political harm.”
Mr Cowen’s statement said the article in the Sunday Times which appeared in the paper today refers to an incorrect garda record dealing with the incident in September 2016.
Mr Cowen categorically denies the allegations in his statement and said his solicitor had already told the newspaper in writing that the garda record is incorrect prior to publication.
He has also sought copies of all records held by gardai about the incident through Data Protection regulations and is seeking to have the details of the incident corrected.
He said: “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.
“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.”
The Garda Commissioner has now referred the matter to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) to investigate a possible criminal offence.
Mr Cowen said it was obvious the disclosure of the information was a “flagrant breach” of the criminal law and his rights under data protection law.
He said: “By publishing this story the Sunday Times has consciously participated in, and facilitated, this and I will be instructing my lawyers to take all necessary steps to vindicate my good name and data protection rights.”
In 2016 Mr Cowen served a three-month disqualification from driving after being stopped at a checkpoint and breathalysed on his way home to Co Offaly from Dublin after the All-Ireland football final.
He was found to be over the limit and issued with a fixed charge penalty notice, €200 fine and disqualified from driving for three months.
Last week, Mr Cowen addressed the controversy in the Dáil and said he was sorry for the “stupid, stupid mistake.”
