A full file of investigation into the Creeslough explosion is nearing completion.
Ten people were killed in the blast, which ripped through an Applegreen service station and a nearby apartment block in the village on October 7, 2022.
Now Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has confirmed that Gardaí are almost ready to submit a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
He said “We’ve drawn an expertise from Great Britain in terms of tragedies around gas explosions in that jurisdiction and where we have lessons to learn in terms of the experience there that has been brought to bear in this investigation.
“The purpose of submitting a file to the Director Public Prosecutions is for the purpose of [examining] is there criminal liability.
“And in that case, there will be an exposure then of the evidence in the criminal justice process.
“But it is for the director to decide on the evidence then. That process is ongoing.”
However, Commissioner Harris did not give an exact timeframe on when the file would be submitted.
He was speaking after it emerged earlier this week that several families who lost loved ones in the tragedy have called on the Government to set up a public inquiry into the explosion as the two-year anniversary draws near.
They have also called for an independent investigation into the tragedy to be established.
Four men, three women and three children, ranging in age from five to 59, died in the explosion.
Commissioner Harris told reporters the “comfort” he could give grieving relatives is that an investigation into the tragedy was carried out by a “committed group of garda members”.
He added when a file is submitted to the DPP, it is important to note that the DPP is “entirely independent” of the gardaí who submit the file.
The DPP will decide if there was any criminal liability in relation to the explosion.
Describing the garda probe into the Creeslough explosion, he said it has been a “very thorough investigation”.
Four people, including two tradesmen, have been arrested by gardaí investigating the explosion. Those arrests happened in March and May and all four were later released without charge.
This week, it emerged that a legal firm, Phoenix Law, representing the next of kin of seven of the 10 victims had written to Justice Minister Helen McEntee asking for an independent investigation to be established.
