THE Dunnes payments tribunal has obtained an order against a number of English banks, requiring them to give evidence at hearings in London, likely to begin this week.
Adjourning the tribunal yesterday - for a probable period of four weeks - the chairman, Mr Justice Brian McCracken, said an order had been obtained from the English courts against certain banks which "quite understandably" did not volunteer confidential information about accounts.
He said the evidence would be given to somebody appointed by a court in Britain to hear it.
As English legal procedures were being followed, the chairman said, it was his understanding that this evidence would be taken in private.
The evidence taken would then be transmitted to the tribunal and almost certainly read into the tribunal record. It was the tribunal's intention to apply for a similar order in the Cayman Islands.
The chairman said any party who might be affected by such evidence would be notified and would be entitled to be represented and to crossexamine any witnesses.
The tribunal could not give a definite date for resuming, but realistically it would probably be in "about four weeks as a minimum", he added.