Civil servant accused of leaking state secrets to foreign handlers

A civil servant in Dublin stands accused of leaking sensitive government information to foreign intelligence handlers, a Dublin District Court heard on Saturday.

Yevgen McKeeffe, 45, an Irish citizen originally from Ukraine, was arrested at Dublin Airport on Thursday afternoon as he attempted to depart the country on a one-way ticket. He was subsequently denied bail by Judge Máire Conneely.

The investigation, led by the Garda Special Detective Unit (SDU), alleges that McKeeffe, an executive officer in the Civil Service, was about to travel to meet a contact and provide classified information that could endanger the Irish state.

McKeeffe faces charges under Section 9 of the Theft and Fraud Offences Act for the unlawful use of a computer in his employment. The SDU officer, Det Sgt Shay Palmer, told the court that further charges under the Official Secrets Act are possible. The court heard that McKeeffe allegedly accessed and photographed departmental data, including organizational structure and personnel details, and sent them to his foreign contact. He also allegedly created an Excel file with staff personal details.

Reporting restrictions were imposed, preventing the disclosure of McKeeffe's address, his government department, and the implicated foreign country. However, the defense's application to prevent the media from naming the accused was denied.