Former FG minister criticised

In 1996 Mr James Gogarty accused the then minister for justice, Mrs Nora Owen, of "deliberately evading action" to address his complaint about the failure of the gardai to prosecute Mr Joe Murphy jnr for intimidation, the tribunal heard yesterday.

The accusation was made in a letter from Mr Gogarty to his solicitor, Mr Michael Hegarty, part of which was read by Mr Garrett Cooney SC, for the Murphy group.

However, the full detail of the accusations was not read to the tribunal as there were objections from counsel Mr Sean Guerin and later Mr George Bermingham SC, for Fine Gael, that where individuals are to be mentioned they should be afforded advance notice.

In the portion of the letter read by Mr Cooney, Mr Gogarty was expressing his dissatisfaction with answers given in the Dail by Mrs Owen, in response to questions from Mr Tommy Broughan in December 1996.

Mr Guerin said the "letter contains potential allegations against an individual not represented before the tribunal".

Mr Cooney said he wanted to make it clear he did not accept there was any validity in Mr Gogarty's allegations, but was raising the matter as an indication of Mr Gogarty's "tendency to accuse people in the wrong when he doesn't get his own way".