THE Supreme Court has blocked the Mahon Tribunal from investigating a £30,000 payment to Fianna Fail via former minister Ray Burke.
Described by legal experts as a "fundamental blow" to the operation of the 10-year planning and payments inquiry, it is the first time that the Supreme Court has stopped a tribunal module from going ahead.
Although the ruling will not affect the tribunal's current workload, including the Quarryvale II module now at public hearing, the inquiry is debarred from holding future modules.
Yesterday's ruling means that the tribunal, which wanted to inquire into a £30,000 payment given to Fianna Fail via Ray Burke in 1989, cannot probe 46 additional matters which it had identified as being eligible for investigation.
However, the Irish Independent has learned that the proposed Fitzwilton Module, one of 47 matters identified by the tribunal on a list known as "J2", has never been furnished to the Government.
The tribunal will now be restricted to completing six modules, including Quarryvale II and Carrickmines.
Irish Independent
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