Minister for Justice Alan Shatter sacked former Garda Síochána confidential recipient Oliver Connolly because he could not "unequivocally repudiate" an alleged conversation he had with a whistleblower.

Mr Shatter also said Mr Connolly undermined the office of confidential recipient, a whistleblower liaison post, if the conversation “as reported had taken place”.

Extracts from a taped conversation between Mr Connolly and Sgt Maurice McCabe were read into the Dáil record recently by Fianna Fáil leader Michéal Martin and Independent TD Mick Wallace.

One of the extracts said: “If stuff was to get out into the public, the print media, I tell you something Maurice – and this is just personal advice to you – if Shatter thinks you’re screwing him, you are finished.”

Mr Shatter relieved Mr Connolly of his duties earlier this week and a statement from the minster said “rumours were circulating for some time regarding the existence of an alleged tape and transcript of a confidential conversation between Mr Connolly and Sergeant Maurice McCabe”.

He said he could not, as Minister for Justice, ask for a tape or even a transcript of the conversation.

“However, following an alleged extract from the alleged tape being placed on the Dáil record, I asked my department two weeks ago to contact Mr Connolly outlining my concerns that, if the conversation as reported had taken place, then his actions had undermined the office of the confidential recipient.”

“Contacts with Mr Connolly over the following two weeks did not satisfy me as to his response to the controversy. I informed him that in the context of his failure to unequivocally repudiate the content of the alleged conversation or take the necessary action to restore public confidence in the office of Confidential Recipient, I believed his position was untenable and I had no alternative but to relieve him of the position. “