The Dublin West TD, Mr Liam Lawlor, could be facing jail for contempt of court following the Flood tribunal's announcement yesterday that it is to refer him to the High Court.
The tribunal will submit that Mr Lawlor has not followed a High Court order to produce financial documents to the tribunal. It will apply to the High Court for an order for attachment and committal for breach of the court's order.
The tribunal lawyers are expected to apply to the court on Monday for a date for the hearing, where both sides will make submissions. If Mr Lawlor is found in breach of the order, one of the court's options is to jail him for contempt of court.
Yesterday, as he left Dublin Castle, Mr Lawlor said: "I have nothing to hide." If he had misinterpreted the High Court order, he wanted to clarify that and he would comply with it.
The dramatic end to four days of questioning of Mr Lawlor in the witness-box came when the chairman, Mr Justice Flood, said he did not propose to sit there any longer. He said it was clear to him that Mr Lawlor had failed to comply with the High Court order, both on the extent of documents discovered and the evidence Mr Lawlor had given.
Mr Lawlor was stood down at 3.50 p.m. yesterday, and the Flood tribunal will hear other witnesses on various issues next week before rising for Christmas.
The order made by the High Court relates to any accounts held by Mr Lawlor in any financial institution within or outside the State, either in his own name or jointly held, into which he had lodgements of money or into which lodgements were made for his benefit.
Mr Justice Flood said there had been "such negative input to date" in clarification of any aspect of discovery that it was now a matter for the High Court to consider whether or not the order had been complied with, and to take such action as it may think appropriate.
Yesterday's evidence came to a head - precipitating the chairman's halt to proceedings - when Mr Lawlor refused to answer questions about whether he had any credit cards other than the Visa card disclosed in documents. Mr Lawlor had said he did not see it as relevant to the tribunal and he had not known credit cards were part of the order.
Earlier, Mr John Gallagher SC, for the tribunal, disclosed that the tribunal had done an analysis of lodgements to 18 bank accounts held by Mr Lawlor which revealed that out of £4.6 million lodged to the bank accounts from 1983 to date, £2.6 million was "unexplained lodgements".
Asked for an explanation, Mr Lawlor said he would like to contact his accountants and have a detailed written statement drawn up which could be submitted to the tribunal next week. This request was refused.