Inquiry serves order as new Ansbacher papers are found

The Moriarty tribunal has discovered documentation linked to Mr Charles Haughey and the Ansbacher deposits which had not previously come to its attention or that of other inquiries into the Ansbacher deposits.

An order has been served on the person in possession of the documentation. The discovery was made late last week and led to last Friday's sudden private sitting of the tribunal, following which the order was issued.

The tribunal is currently working in private as it pursues its investigation into the role played by the late Des Traynor in the finances of Mr Haughey, and in particular to the operation of Mr Haughey's Ansbacher accounts.

The tribunal is also involved in an investigation into a bill-paying service operated for Mr Haughey between 1985 and 1991 by Haughey Boland & Co, the accountancy firm which now forms part of Deloitte & Touche. Public hearings are expected to resume in two weeks. The discovery of fresh documentation relating to the Ansbac her accounts is surprising as the operation of the accounts has already been the subject of a two-year inquiry by the Moriarty tribunal, as well has having been investigated by the McCracken (Dunnes Payments) Tribunal and Mr Gerry Ryan, an authorised officer appointed by the Tanaiste, Ms Harney. Mr Ryan's inquiry led to an application to the High Court in September for the appointment of two inspectors to inquire into Ansbacher (Cayman) Ltd, the Cayman Islands bank which ran the deposits. The inspectors, retired High Court judge, Mr Justice Declan Costello, Ms Noreen Mackey BL, and chartered accountant Mr Paul Rowan, are likely to seek copies of the fresh documentation.

Up to now it has been believed that after Mr Traynor's death in 1994, most of the Ansbacher records were either destroyed or brought back to the Cayman Islands. In the period after Mr Traynor's death and before the destruction or removal of the records, they were kept by Mr Padraig Collery, a former Guinness & Mahon banker who assisted Mr Traynor in the operation of the deposits.

At one stage, Mr Collery had the records lodged in the offices of Management Information Services, a company run by Mr Sam Field-Corbett which provided secretarial services to companies linked to Mr Traynor.

Mr Traynor's secretary, Ms Joan Williams, was a signatory of the deposits and, according to evidence heard by the tribunal two weeks ago, was frequently involved in contacts between Mr Haughey and Mr Traynor.