THE PROGRESSIVE Democrats have called for the immediate establishment of a sworn tribunal of inquiry into the payment of money by Dunnes Stores to politicians and public servants.
The present inquiry being conducted by Judge Gerard Buchanan is "a dead end, a cul de sac, a time waster", according to the party's finance spokesman, Mr Michael McDowell. The PD leader, Ms Mary Harney, called for its immediate abandonment as it has "no power to get at the truth".
Government sources rejected the call last night, saying it would wait for the judge's report. "It would be unreasonable to expect us to abandon a process we started before first knowing its outcome," a source said. Further methods of investigation, including a tribunal, were not ruled out, he said.
A report from Judge Buchanan, who is investigating the payments which were made when Mr Ben Dunne was in charge of the company, may be completed by the end of this week. The judge was appointed to identify the politicians and public servants who are named in the Price Waterhouse report as having received payments from the company.
A sub committee of the Dail Committee on Procedure and Privileges will then examine Judge Buchanan's findings. His initial report is expected to deal only with politicians who allegedly received payments.
According to Ms Harney and Mr McDowell, all the judge can do is write to politicians and ask them if they received money and then "must either accept the explanations or denials given by ministers or pass them on to a Dail committee, asking whether they are true or not".
Nor would the Dail sub committee have adequate power. "I don't believe the committee has the power to get to the truth," said Ms Harney. "It has no power to subpoena witnesses, and anyone aggrieved by the process can challenge it in the courts.
"No committee of politicians should examine the behaviour of politicians because the public won't accept it as fair and impartial. Nothing but a sworn judicial inquiry will get to the bottom of this."
All that was known by the public was the original report on the Lowry affair by the journalist Sam Smyth and Mr Lowry's own statement. "There are reports that there is an affidavit that contains far more serious accusations, but the indications are that Judge Buchanan won't receive that," said Mr McDowell.
Ms Harney said a tribunal need, not be slow and could reach its findings within three months. "The hepatitis C tribunal has gone about its work with great speed and there is no reason why a tribunal on this could not conclude quickly."
She said Fianna Fail had supported the PD motion before Christmas calling for such a tribunal, "and I have no reason to believe that they have changed their mind".
"The Government told us that if we accepted their approach it would all be over in a matter of days," she said. Two months later, the committee was only due to have its first meeting today.
Mr McDowell said the former chairman and chief executive of Dunnes Stores, Mr Ben Dunne, would be a "star witness" at a tribunal. "The man most conversant with the reasons the money was paid must be the man who paid it."