Tribunal of inquiry into payments to politicians: the background

The Tribunal of Inquiry into Payments to Politicians was established in 1997 in the wake of the McCracken (Dunnes Payments) tribunal…

The Tribunal of Inquiry into Payments to Politicians was established in 1997 in the wake of the McCracken (Dunnes Payments) tribunal.

Chaired by Mr Justice Michael Moriarty, the tribunal was asked, among a number of other matters, to look for payments to former minister Michael Lowry and former taoiseach Charles Haughey and any decisions they might have made while in government that benefited persons who had given them money.

In its first report, in December 2006, it found that Haughey took payments of €11.56 million between 1979 and 1996, and granted favours in return.

Its second and final report, dealing with payments to Lowry as well as the awarding of the State’s second mobile phone licence to Esat Digifone in 1996, was published yesterday.

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384number of days the tribunal heard evidence

€250 millionEstimated cost to State when final legal bills come in

TOP THREE EARNERS

Jerry Healy SC€9,490,181

John Coughlan SC€9,285,628

Jacqueline O'Brien SC€6,707,917

14Number of years tribunal ran for