Does anyone remember the context to the 'leak'? I remember it was a very turbulent time in the medical profession.
The highly-paid 'fat cat' CEO of the Irish Medical Organisation had recently resigned with a E10m severance package.
Younger and lower-paid doctors were furious and resigned from the IMO in protest, setting up the NAGP to represent them instead.
When the article says
At the time, negotiations were at an advanced stage of the GP Contractual Reform and Service Development, which the National Association of GPs was not party to.
this means that the negotiations were only with the IMO as the NAGP hadn't been recognised by the Department yet - so large numbers of GPs were being left out of the negotiations. An agreement with the IMO would have been just an agreement with the better-paid doctors who had stayed when the NAGP was set up.
I'm not entirely sure about this, but I think another objection was that the IMO represented all categories of doctors, including very highly paid Consultants etc., and the NAGP didn't think the 'fat cats', as they saw them, should be negotiating on behalf of less well paid GPs.
LV giving a copy to the president of the NAGP meant that the unrepresented GPs would also see the proposals and could give their unofficial approval. bringing the main body of GPs along with the reform proposal.
The DPP decided that no laws had been broken, as the document was not an official secret. There was no personal benefit to LV, so it was not corruption in public office.
A SIPO enquiry will decide if there was a breach in standards in public office. Although there was nothing gained personally, and he didn't leak official secrets to the enemy or anything, it made LV look like he would cut corners, and that's not a good look.
It'll be interesting to see what SIPO decide!