Dispute over prestigious new Garda posting to United Arab Emirates

A dispute has emerged over one of An Garda Síochána’s most sought-after foreign postings, with a member of the force challenging the way a recruitment process was run to fill a role in United Arab Emirates (UAE).The successful candidate will be based in Abu Dhabi as part of the Garda liaison officer network and will work with UAE authorities on matters including the ongoing investigation into the Kinahan cartel.A range of other Irish criminals have fled to the region as Garda investigations have ramped up over the years and the force has a list of Dubai-based suspects it wants to prioritise inquiries into in the months and years ahead. The complaint about the recruitment process has emerged just as Garda Headquarters was preparing to announce internally who had secured the post. READ MOREA Garda member at the rank of superintendent had held the role since it was created in 2022, but he completed his posting months ago. It is understood tasks linked to the UAE role have been taken on by the Garda’s London desk. A number of members at inspector rank applied when the competition opened during the summer, with only a small number of candidates interviewed.[ Christy Kinahan snr may have to settle for living in Iran, says Minister for JusticeOpens in new window ]The Irish Times understands a member who applied has lodged an official complaint about the competition. Another candidate secured the job and it is understood the complaint centres on how the competition was run, rather than the person selected.The Garda member who has lodged the complaint has contended that certain rules and standards were not adhered to during the competition. Sources familiar with the issue on Thursday said they did not know the precise nature of the complaint, which had been lodged with Garda Headquarters in the past 10 days and would be examined, at least in the first instance, by the force’s human resources section.It is unclear if a delay in filling the position, which has been vacant for months, will now arise as a result of the complaint being lodged. The fact a complaint has arisen over the process will be seen an embarrassment for Garda Headquarters, with sources saying news of the dispute has spread rapidly through the ranks. A request for comment was sent to Garda Headquarters and a response is awaited.[ Christy Kinahan senior faces no cartel-related criminal chargesOpens in new window ]The Abu Dhabi based job, and another in Bangkok, Thailand, were added to the Garda liaison officer network at the request of then Garda commissioner Drew Harris about five years ago. There were existing Garda liaison roles at that stage in Madrid, Paris, London, The Hague, Washington and Bogota, Colombia. The network is seen as offering exciting opportunities for Garda members interested in working abroad. Some of the postings involve a focus on investigating Irish criminals based abroad or with significant criminal contacts around the world.Garda management is keen to maintain the momentum around intelligence sharing and joint operations with the authorities in Dubai, and UAE more generally, that came about during the Kinahan cartel investigation. As a result, the role is regarded as strategically important and a high-pressure position. Appointment for the four-year term would be seen as enhancing the career prospects for the chosen Garda member.