THE High Court yesterday made an order confirming the decision of the Law Society to issue a practising certificate to a Dublin solicitor, Mr Denis Murnaghan, provided adequate monitoring arrangements are put in place.
Previously, Mr Murnaghan's certificate to practise as a solicitor was renewed for 1997 by the society so that he could regularise his position until the matter was heard by the High Court.
The High Court President, Mr Justice Costello, described the matter as a serious one and said Mr Murnaghan's failure to pay his tax liabilities had led to the situation in which such arrangements were necessary in the interests of the public and the legal profession.
Rather than requiring undertakings from Mr Murnaghan, Mr Justice Costello said he would make an order confirming the decision of the Law Society to grant Mr Murnaghan his certificate to practise, and made a number of directions to be embodied in the order.
They included that Mr Murnaghan authorise the Revenue Commissioners to inform the Law Society of any breach of his agreement with them relating to the payment of arrears of taxes and current taxes and of any agreement varying its terms that Mr Murnaghan inform the society of any breach of his agreement with the Revenue Commissioners or of any agreement varying its terms.
Mr Justice Costello also directed that quarterly reports certified by the solicitor's reporting account ant be furnished to the society within a month of the end of the period to which they relate, in addition to any other accounts or reports required to be delivered to the society.
The judge said he was hopeful that a successful way out of the problems had been reached.
He thought the society had to bring the matter back into court in order to get the matter regularised and awarded costs of the action to the society.
It was a very difficult situation, he said, and hoped the solution - now found was a satisfactory one.