FORMER Fine Gael Taoiseach John Bruton may be able to identify the member of the gardai who asked him to "ease off" the McBrearty case, the Morris Tribunal was told.

North west Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins was giving evidence in relation to his time as justice spokesperson for the party when John Bruton told him about the approach to "ease off".

Frank McBrearty snr questioned the MEP about the identity of the people involved but he told the Raphoe man that he couldn't name the person as Mr Bruton didn't name the man who approached him.

"Would Mr Bruton be able to name him if he was called to the tribunal?" Mr McBrearty asked.

"He may. He may well," Mr Higgins responded.

The MEP said that while he was examining documents for the tribunal he came across an A4 sheet of rather decrepit paper with "Frank Connolly re John Bruton" written on it.

Mr Higgins said that when he saw Mr Connolly's name he thought "on reflection that possibly that John Bruton had asked me to ease off."

TELEPHONED

"I immediately rang Frank Connolly who verified to me that he was in telephone contact with me and asked me if in fact John Bruton had asked me to ease off in relation to the McBrearty case, and that this had been done at the behest of a member of the Garda Siochana who had received a complaint from a member who was a member of the Garda Complaints Board," Mr Higgins said.

He added that he then contacted his lawyers to correct the misleading impression they had previously given to the tribunal.

"EASE OFF"

The MEP verified to Mr McBrearty that John Bruton was approached by a member of the Garda Complaints Board to "ease off".

Mr Higgins told the tribunal that he acted responsibly in 2000 when anonymous allegations were sent to him about two senior gardai. He was responding to a statement from Assistant Garda Commissioner Kevin Carty in 2001 who claimed the anonymous allegations were made "with malicious intent with the sole purpose of assassinating my character and good name".

RESENT

"I absolutely resent and reject the tone of the letter in saying it was done with malicious intent with the sole objective of undermining his character, his credibility or his reputation. That is not true," Mr Higgins said.

He added that the reason he and Deputy Howlin took the complaints to the minister was to protect their reputations.

"We had no reason to believe that there was any substance or credibility to the allegations," Mr Higgins added.

Both garda and tribunal investigators have found no evidence to support the anonymous allegations.