A civil servant accused of leaking sensitive State information to a hostile foreign power has been sent forward for trial to the non-jury Special Criminal Court.
Yevgen McKeeffe (46), an Irish citizen originally from Ukraine, is accused of two breaches of the Official Secrets Act, breaching the Data Protection Act, and disclosing confidential information from a government department between July 11th, 2025 and May 28th last.
McKeeffe, who denies the four allegations, was arrested at Dublin Airport on May 28th last while attempting to leave the State. He was carrying €5,650 and had a one-way ticket.
Reporting restrictions prohibit the reporting of the accused’s Dublin address, the department in which he works, the other country involved and the information allegedly disclosed.
The case resumed on Friday at Cloverhill District Court when McKeeffe was served with a book of evidence. Judge Alan Mitchell noted the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had authorised that McKeeffe be returned for trial to the Special Criminal Court, which usually hears terrorism or organised crime cases.
State solicitor Mark Donnelly said the DPP had issued a certificate stating that the ordinary courts were not suitable for the administration of justice in this case.
A date for McKeeffe’s appearance before the three-judge, non-jury court has not yet been set. Legal aid, covering a solicitor and three counsel due to the complexity of the case, was granted.
McKeeffe has lived in Ireland for 24 years and changed his name by deed poll. The IT worker, who was refused bail at a previous stage, was remanded in continuing custody.
During a bail hearing in June, Det Sgt Shay Palmer told the court McKeeffe had been in his latest job since 2022, having worked in another department for six years beforehand. He is suspended from work pending the outcome of the case.
Palmer said the Special Detective Unit opened an intelligence-led investigation that led to McKeeffe’s arrest as he was about to fly to Turkey. It was alleged he would then proceed “on to his final destination where he would meet his contact and share confidential information which had the potential of creating risk to the Irish State”.
Palmer maintained that McKeeffe received payments in a foreign currency equivalent to €250–€260 for his efforts, which were lodged into his mother’s account. Given the nature of the other country involved, he said it was not possible to determine whether the accused received further sums there.
Palmer raised concerns about a potential flight risk, with the court hearing the accused, who said he came to Ireland because he faced discrimination for being homosexual, had used four other variations of names. McKeeffe held an Irish passport and two other non-Irish travel documents and had been in Ireland lawfully since 2002.
Defence counsel said the accused had changed his name to a more Irish one and had ties to the State through his job, friends and a mortgage on his home.