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Reporting by Tom Tuite
A Dublin civil servant accused of leaking sensitive government information to a “hostile” foreign power has been denied bail in the High Court.
Yevgen McKeeffe (46), originally from Ukraine but with Irish citizenship, had been arrested at the departures area in Dublin Airport on May 28, attempting to leave the country carrying €5,650 and a one-way ticket.
Delivering his ruling at the High Court in Cloverhill on Tuesday, Mr Justice Patrick McGrath noted: “what can only be described as alarming evidence of activities and access to detailed information in a government department”.
He said, “The nature of the evidence really does cause considerable alarm to the court, and it should give pause for thought to those who, perhaps out of a sense of naivety, do not consider that this country is under any form of risk of interference at the hands of a malevolent foreign nation.”
He added that, “They should only listen to the evidence garnered by the gardaÃ, and it will call into question any naive assumptions that they have as to this country not facing threats similar to those faced by other democracies in Europe.”
He stressed that the IT worker, who had lived in Ireland for 24 years and changed his name by deed poll, was entitled to the presumption of innocence. Still, he said the evidence gathered was extensive and comprehensive, describing the allegations as of “the most serious kind”.
Following an investigation by the Garda Special Detective Unit (SDU), Mr McKeeffe was charged under section 9 of the Theft and Fraud Offences Act for the unlawful use of a computer, which, on conviction, is punishable by a maximum 10-year sentence.
Two days after his arrest, he was denied bail in the District Court, leading to an appeal to the High Court.
Mr Justice McGrath imposed reporting restrictions preventing journalists from revealing Mr McKeeffe’s address in Dublin, the specific government department in which he worked, the overseas country involved in the case, or the information allegedly disclosed.
Defence barrister Aisling Ginger-Quinn said her client denies the charge and the case will go to trial as she pleaded for bail, with a range of conditions supported by the offer of a €20,000 independent surety.
However, SDU Detective Sergeant Shay Palmer told Mr Justice McGrath that no bail terms would alleviate his concerns that the accused, who has used five identities, could reoffend or that he was a flight risk.
Detective Sergeant Palmer agreed with Nicola Cox BL, for the State, that Mr McKeeffe had worked in his latest position since 2022 and had, before that, been in another government department since 2016.
He remains suspended from work pending the case.
The Detective Sergeant said the SDU opened an intelligence-led investigation that led to Mr McKeeffe’s arrest as he was about to fly to Turkey.
He concurred with Ms Cox that it was alleged the man was then to proceed “on to his final destination where he would meet with his contact and share confidential information which had the potential of creating risk to the Irish State”.
The contested bail hearing was told that he had previously travelled out of the country in 2025 under his current name, but had used another name on an earlier flight.
The court heard gardaà seized electronic devices and documents during a search of his home computer.
His workplace was also examined, and his desktop computer was seized. Gardaà accessed his work system and downloaded an audit log. It was claimed that he subsequently sent information, in the form of documents, pictures, or videos, to a handler in a foreign jurisdiction via the Telegram app on his mobile phone.
Detective Sergeant Palmer said Mr McKeeffe received payments in a foreign currency equivalent to €250–€260 for his efforts, which were lodged into his mother’s account.
He added that, given the nature of the country involved, it would not be possible to determine whether he received further sums in that nation.
The Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau has examined his mobile phone.
The court heard he had signed the Official Secrets Act when he commenced his employment.
Detective Sergeant Palmer also raised significant flight risk concerns.
He accepted Mr McKeeffe had Irish citizenship but countered that he had no familial ties to Ireland. He agreed that he had a mortgage, but it had been partly paid with assistance and loans from friends.
The court heard that the accused, who came to Ireland because he was homosexual and faced discrimination before coming here, had used four other variations of names. He also held an Irish passport and two other non-Irish travel documents.
Ms Ginger-Quinn argued that her client had no prior criminal convictions. She said he had not gone home for 16 or 17 years until 2025, when he went to see family, having missed the death of his father. She argued that when arrested, he was about to travel to visit relatives and get dental treatment.
The officer agreed the accused was a single man and had been in Ireland lawfully since 2002 and had progressed to citizenship.
Counsel said he had changed his name to a more Irish one and had ties to the country through his job, friends, and a mortgage on his home.
However, the judge held that the State had established its grounds for denying bail.
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