Civil servant accused of passing secret government information to 'handlers' in foreign spy service

Tom Tuite

A Dublin civil servant has been accused of leaking confidential government information to 'handlers' in a foreign intelligence service.

Yevgen McKeeffe (45), originally from Ukraine but with Irish citizenship, appeared at Dublin District Court on Saturday and was refused bail by Judge Máire Conneely.

It follows an investigation by the Garda Special Detective Unit (SDU). He has not indicated a plea.

McKeeffe, who changed his name by deed poll, is an executive officer, a junior management grade in the civil service.

Judge Conneely heard he was arrested on Thursday afternoon at departures in Dublin Airport, attempting to leave the country with a one-way ticket.

A bail hearing was told that the IT worker was allegedly about to leave the country to meet a contact and provide sensitive information, which would place the State at risk.

He was charged under section 9 of the Theft and Fraud Offences Act for the unlawful use of a computer in his employment, which, on conviction, is punishable by a maximum 10-year sentence.

Reporting restrictions were imposed, preventing journalists from revealing his address in Dublin, the specific government department where he worked, or the overseas country implicated in the case.

However, the judge denied a defence application to prevent the media from naming the accused.

SDU Detective Sergeant Shay Palmer said he arrested McKeeffe at departures, brought him to a garda station, where the accused "made no reply" to the charge at 11.46 pm on Friday.

Objecting to bail, Detective Sergeant Palmer told the court that an intelligence-led investigation was launched about a week ago into the civil servant who worked in an information management technology section, having previously been in the IT section.

He also told the court that further charges under the Official Secrets Act could be brought.

Detective Sergeant Palmer said the accused had worked on the department's website and an online portal.

The judge noted that the lines of inquiry were that the accused had allegedly obtained or transferred official department data, "and supplied them to a foreign intelligence service for personal gain."

The SDU officer said the accused was about to fly to Turkey on Thursday, and then 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".

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 gardaí seized electronic devices and documents during a search of his home.

His workplace was also examined, and his desktop computer was seized. Gardaí accessed his work system and downloaded an audit log.

The court heard claims he accessed the portal site where the department's organisational structure and personnel details were photographed and "sent to his foreign contact".

Beforehand, he allegedly created an Excel file with personal details of staff in the department.

It was claimed that he subsequently sent the pictures to a handler in a foreign jurisdiction, using the Telegram app on his mobile phone.

McKeeffe allegedly printed off a list of websites controlled by the department, photographed them and sent them to his handler, the judge heard.

It was alleged that he explained that different departments had sub-departments with their own websites. The court heard he took pictures and videos of the websites, which were sent to his contact.

The bail hearing was told that he had access to familiarisation events and agendas for different sections, and that he had sent pictures, PDF documents, and videos from his phone and home.

Detective Sergeant Palmer said McKeeffe received payments in a foreign currency equivalent to €250–€260 for his efforts, with the money paid into his mother's account.

The Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau has examined his mobile phone.

The court heard that the device contained a picture of the partial hierarchical organisational structure at his workplace, including management, and identified a number of individuals.

A sample of the Excel document had personal details of staff.

The court heard he had signed the Official Secrets Act when he started working in 2016, and the SDU officer alleged that Mr McKeeffe "clearly breached this".

Detective Sergeant Palmer also raised significant flight risk concerns, saying the IT worker had used four other variations of names.

He accepted McKeeffe had Irish citizenship but stated that he also had family in Ukraine's Donbas region and no familial ties to Ireland.

At the time of the arrest, he was carrying €5,650 in cash and a one-way ticket.

Questioned by defence solicitor Peter Connolly, the detective sergeant agreed that Mr McKeeffe had no prior criminal convictions.

The solicitor said his client had visited the disputed region in Ukraine during the war to visit family, after a gap of 16 or 17 years. He contended that there was no significant travel pattern and that it was understandable he was worried about his family in that area.

The officer agreed the accused was a single man and had been in Ireland lawfully since 2002 and had progressed to citizenship.

The court heard that since he commenced his government job, he had been employed in two departments.

Connolly disputed the detective sergeant's stance that his client had no ties to Ireland.

He asserted that McKeeffe, who did not address the court, had a job with a pension and a mortgage in Ireland, and that his connections here did not just have to be family.

The solicitor also told the court that his client had changed his name because people had trouble pronouncing his original surname.

Connolly said the accused accepted that stringent bail conditions should apply and that he would need a surety.

The defence proposed using the funds seized from the accused as bail money, but Detective Sergeant Palmer disagreed, saying the cash was now an exhibit in the case.

The solicitor said Mr McKeeffe had the money to get healthcare work done and always planned to return to Ireland.

He told the judge his client agreed he had signed the Official Secrets Act when he commenced employment, but maintained that "it was not explained to him in any detail".

The defence argued that the case was likely to be heard at a higher level, and that refusing bail could see McKeeffe on remand in the overcrowded prison system for up to two years, while he had the presumption of innocence.

Addressing the issue of his client's three passports, Connolly said his client had an Irish passport and two from his homeland, all under his original name.

However, the judge held he was a flight risk and refused bail. His next hearing will be at Cloverhill District Court on Tuesday.

Legal aid was granted.