The Co Donegal town of Raphoe was still divided since local people were arrested on suspicion of being connected with the death of cattle dealer Richie Barron in 1996, the tribunal was told yesterday.
Anne Crossan, whose husband, Seán Crossan, was one of 12 people arrested, said the effects of the arrests and what was believed by gardaí to be a murder investigation in 1996 were still being felt.
It was now affecting their children 10 years on.
"Raphoe is divided. People who you would have been speaking to, people doesn't be speaking to you any more. Because we lived there for a lot of years and we'd no bother from anybody," she said.
Mr Crossan (57) was arrested on December 11th, 1996. The tribunal has since found that Mr Barron was a hit-and-run victim.
Mr Crossan sometimes worked at night as a doorman at Frankie's nightclub, owned by Frank McBrearty snr.
Mrs Crossan visited her husband twice at Letterkenny Garda station.
On the second visit, he told her he had asked for a doctor.
"I noticed Seán was cut", she said. She pointed to the edge of her eyebrow to indicate where the cut was. "He was marked there. To me it would be a cut. There was no blood. He had scratches on his ear."