Morris Tribunal: The Raphoe publican, Mr Frank McBrearty jnr, has accused the Minister for Justice of "deliberately misleading" the Oireachtas.
Mr McBrearty said that Mr McDowell had misled the Dáil in a written reply to Labour's justice spokesman, Mr Joe Costello TD, regarding the redesignation of the death of a cattle-dealer, Mr Richie Barron, as a case of death due to dangerous driving on the PULSE Garda computer system.
Mr McBrearty told the chairman that, "with great regret", he was leaving the tribunal to return to Donegal and consult his family.
Mr McBrearty said that Mr McDowell misled the Oireachtas when he told Mr Costello that the death of Mr Barron had been redesignated on November 13th 2002.
In a letter to Mr McBrearty last month, the Garda Commissioner, Mr Noel Conroy, said that the case had been redesignated on February 13th, 2002, six weeks before the tribunal was established to inquire into allegations from Mr McBrearty and others of Garda corruption in Donegal.
The Donegal publican said that Mr McDowell had deprived his family of legal aid while allowing legal assistance to "Garda officers who framed me for murder", as well as to gardaí who had "destroyed" his family business and "covered up".
"My family is sick and tired of listening to legal weasel words from the Dublin legal political establishment," Mr McBrearty said.
In reply, the chairman of the tribunal, Mr Justice Morris, said he was "entirely satisfied" with the work of the tribunal and its staff.
The tribunal will resume on January 10th.