THE DUNNES payments tribunal wants witnesses compelled to give evidence in the Cayman Islands concerning the £1.3 million allegedly paid by Mr Ben Dunne to Mr Charles Haughey.
The tribunal has written to the Grand Court of Cayman islands seeking its assistance to compel witnesses to attend and to compel the production of documents.
The documents and evidence sought are understood to relate to four payments totalling £1.1 million into the account of a Cayman Islands bank, Ansbacher, held at Guinness & Mahon (Ireland).
They may also relate to three bank drafts worth £210,000, allegedly handed by Mr Dunne to Mr Haughey, which ended up in an Ansbacher account held at the Irish Intercontinental Bank.
The interim report of the tribunal, laid before the Dail yesterday, says the tribunal hopes to have its final report ready by the end of August or early September.
If the application to the Grand Court of Cayman Islands is granted, the tribunal hopes evidence will be taken there in the first week of June although, as Justice McCracken states in his interim report, "it must be realised that it is impossible to have any certainty in that regard".
It seems highly unlikely therefore that any further tribunal sittings will take place in Ireland until after the general election. Once the Cayman Islands evidence is taken, according to the report, and further investigations have been completed, there will be several witnesses to give evidence in Dublin.
"It is hoped that all evidence would be completed by late June or early July," according to Judge McCracken. "The final report should be available about a month later but this timetable is dependent upon events outside the control of the tribunal, particularly in the Cayman Islands."
Among the evidence still to be heard in Dublin is that of Mr Noel Smyth, Mr Dunne's solicitor who had five meetings with Mr Haughey since December last.
The issue of whether Mr Smyth will be compelled to give evidence of what transpired at these meetings has been adjourned until the tribunal resumes taking oral evidence.
Evidence has also been taken from bankers in London, according to the report, after the High Court of England and Wales agreed to a request from the tribunal.
Among those who have now given evidence in London is Guinness Mahon & Co, formerly the parent company of Guinness & Mahon (Ireland).
The tribunal heard on its first sitting day that there would be evidence that Mr Haughey had an overdraft of £261,000 in an account in Guinness & Mahon (Ireland) in 1987, and this had been paid off from Guinness Mahon in London.
According to the interim report, the tribunal made orders for discovery and/or production of documents against 27 individuals, banks, companies, political parties and other bodies.
They include Mr Ben Dunne, Mr Charles Haughey and members of his family, Mr Michael Lowry and Mr Anthony F. Traynor.