Tribunal ready to seek discovery of Desmond documents

The Moriarty (Payments to Politicians) Tribunal is still conducting inquiries into the affairs of financier Mr Dermot Desmond and may make a related order of discovery today for documents.

Last year, Mr Desmond gave evidence to the tribunal about payments of £125,000 sterling he had made to Mr Charles Haughey in 1994 and 1996 and £75,000 given for the refurbishment of his family's yacht, the Celtic Mist, in 1990/1991.

The money for Mr Haughey came from Switzerland but the money for the refurbishment of the yacht came from an account with ACCBank in Grafton Street, Dublin. The account was in the name of Freezone Investments, an Isle of Man company linked to the controversial purchase and sale of the Telecom site in Ballsbridge in the early 1990s.

Money from the sale of the site was lodged to the account. A government inspector, Mr John Glackin, who investigated the sale of the site, interviewed Mr Conor Haughey about the matter because funds from the account had been used to refurbish the Celtic Mist. The yacht is owned by Larchfield Securities, a company owned by the four Haughey children.

Orders of discovery are usually issued against banks but it is not known why the tribunal wishes to issue such an order in relation to Mr Desmond's affairs.

During a short sitting on Wednesday Mr Jerry Healy SC, for the tribunal, said it had been envisaged that certain orders for the production of documents would be made but asked for an adjournment until today to investigate whether the documents might be produced by consent. Mr Justice Moriarty consented to an adjournment to today.

It is understood orders for the production of the documents will be made at today's sitting, unless a successful argument can be put forward contesting such a move.