The Attorney General is supporting the Flood Tribunal's request that the Criminal Assets Bureau hand over certain documents which the bureau seized from the former Dublin assistant county manager, Mr George Redmond.
At the High Court yesterday, Mr Justice Geoghegan said he would fix a date on Thursday for the hearing of the CAB's opposition to the request. He would also give a decision on Thursday on an application by the Director of Public Prosecutions to be made a notice party to the proceedings. Last week the judge refused the CAB's application to join the DPP as a notice party but the DPP yesterday renewed the application. Last week the CAB secured leave to challenge the order directing it to produce the documents. Chief Supt Fachtna Murphy, head of the CAB, claimed investigations would be prejudiced if the bureau produced them. In court yesterday, Ms Nuala Butler, for the CAB, said they had received notice from the Attorney General opposing the CAB's application.
On the DPP's application to be joined as a notice party, Mr Justice Geoghegan said it seemed to him the DPP would be arguing the same case as the CAB and, to date, the DPP had not been involved in the hearings.
Mr Edward Comyn SC, for the DPP, said the CAB would be arguing from a limited point of view. The DPP had serious concerns about this matter and felt he should be separately represented. Mr Justice Geoghegan said he could not understand why, if the DPP had this very strong view, he did not make it to the tribunal. Mr Comyn said the DPP saw this matter as an issue in which he had a very definite interest and ought to be joined.