Times of London, Ireland Edition: “Government is ready to take action in Gibney case'”
December 14, 2017“Swimmer ‘was to expose Gibney'” — Sunday Times of London
December 16, 2017
The second story, published today, follows yesterday’s exchange on the floor of Dáil Éireann between Maureen O’Sullivan, representative from Dublin Central, and the Tánaiste (deputy prime minister), Simon Coveney: https://concussioninc.net/?p=12378.
Chronological links to our series, which began January 27, 2015, under the headline “Why Is George Gibney – No. 1 At-Large Pedophile in Global Sports – Living in Florida? And Who Sponsored His Green Card?”: https://concussioninc.net/?p=10942
Released files ‘bolster effort to deport Irish swimming coach’
By Aaron Rogan
December 13 2017
Newly released files about the United States’ refusal to grant citizenship to the former Irish Olympic swimming coach George Gibney will lead to political pressure to deport the alleged child rapist, an investigative journalist claims.
Irvin Muchnick, a journalist based in San Francisco, made the comments after settling a Freedom of Information case with the Department of Homeland Security. Mr Gibney avoided trial after he was charged in Ireland in 1993 with sexually assaulting and raping 27 young swimmers in his care. He fled to the United States. Mr Muchnick was seeking to obtain his immigration file.
During an in camera hearing as part of the case, Charles R Breyer, a senior federal judge, questioned Mr Gibney’s status in the country as he was without citizenship but no move wasmade to deport him. “We’re not a refuge for paedophiles,” Judge Breyer said.
Mr Muchnick agreed to accept partial release of Mr Gibney’s file after Judge Breyer ruled largely in his favour.
Writing on his website Concussion Inc after the settlement yesterday, Mr Muchnick said he believed that the new documents will give activists “all the tools they need in order to complete the pursuit of justice for Gibney. With sexual assault narratives at the forefront of public conversation, and with new legislation now addressing related problems in US Olympic Committee-sanctioned national sport governing bodies, the time is at hand,” he wrote.
He said that with new information Maureen O’Sullivan, the independent TD who has pursued the case in Ireland, and the US politicians Senator Dianne Feinstein and Congresswoman Jackie Speier would be able to find out why he was allowed to stay in the US.
“The question raised by Judge Breyer regarding the government’s failure to remove Gibney despite the material gaps in his failed citizenship application is no longer abstract. Feinstein, Speier, and other sympathetic politicians must press to find out why the Department of Homeland Security, which presents itself as vigilant on vetting immigrants in other contexts, is so lax with respect to [Mr Gibney],” he wrote.
The documents, which will be released soon, apparently show that Mr Gibney was refused naturalised citizenship after he failed to include the 27 charges of indecent assault and carnalknowledge of girls under the age of 15 that were placed against him in Ireland, Mr Muchnick said. The Department of Homeland Security had sought to keep details of Mr Gibney’s immigration file secret but the settlement will allow Mr Muchnick access to key documents.
These are believed to show that Mr Gibney applied for naturalised citizenship in March 2010 but that in September the US government returned the application. It was suggested that he change the part in which he claimed he was never either convicted or charged with a crime. An earlier document indicates the government had “third party information” about him, thought to be from a child abuse charity.
In December Mr Gibney’s application was rejected. A letter from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement included in the release said that it was powerless to remove him because he had not been convicted of a crime.
Mr Muchnick had wanted full access to Mr Gibney’s files to ascertain if American swimming coaches had attempted to help the Irishman obtain employment and a visa. Mr Gibney was granted a green card after he was charged in Ireland with the offences.
Mr Muchnick said the release was unlikely to reveal who wrote an offer of employment for Mr Gibney to continue to work as a swimming coach in America that was used in his visa application.
Mr Gibney won a High Court judicial review in 1994 that prevented the Irish director of public prosecutions from pressing ahead with its case. It was ruled that he could not defend himself against the charges as too much time had elapsed since the alleged crimes, which dated from the 1960s to the late 1980s. In March 2015 NóirÃn O’Sullivan ordered a review of the Gibney case.
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Government is ‘ready to take action in Gibney case’
By Aaron Rogan
December 15 2017
Simon Coveney has said that the government will act if possible on new information to be released about George Gibney, who allegedly sexually assaulted and raped 27 young swimmers in his care.
The Times reported this week that newly released files about the United States’ refusal to grant citizenship to the former Irish Olympic swimming coach could lead to political pressure to deport him.
“We will note that with interest and act on it if we can but I am conscious that this may be subject of a future legal action,” the tánaiste said in response to a question from Maureen O’Sullivan, the independent TD.
“Unfortunately, sometimes time is a barrier in bringing successful convictions. I do not want to say that is the case in this instance, but the state will do all it can to try to bring individuals to justice who have been accused of sexual abuse.”
The new documents about Mr Gibney will be released as part of an investigation by Irvin Muchnick, a journalist based in San Francisco.
Mr Gibney avoided trial after he was charged in Ireland in 1993 with sexually assaulting and raping 27 young swimmers while he was the Irish national swim coach. He fled to the United States. Mr Muchnick was seeking to obtain his immigration file.
During a hearing, Charles R Breyer, a federal judge, questioned Mr Gibney’s status in the country as he was without citizenship but no move was made to deport him. “We’re not a refuge for paedophiles,” Judge Breyer said.
Mr Gibney won a judicial review in 1994 that prevented the Irish director of public prosecutions from pressing ahead with its case. It was ruled that he could not defend himself against the charges because too much time had elapsed since the alleged crimes, which dated from the 1960s to the late 1980s.