High Court decision on Lawlor next week

The High Court is to decide next week whether the former Fianna Fail TD, Mr Liam Lawlor, has co-operated sufficiently with orders from the Flood tribunal requiring him to produce financial records.

Today is the deadline for Mr Lawlor to submit all details of his company and financial records under the terms of a High Court judgment which saw the TD jailed for seven days and fined £10,000 last January.

The balance of the three-month sentence imposed on Mr Lawlor was suspended on a number of conditions. These require him to swear affidavits of discovery, furnish documentation to the tribunal at fortnightly intervals, provide all documentation by March 30th, and afterwards attend the tribunal to give evidence.

Lawyers for the tribunal are expected to tell the High Court on Monday whether the documentation provided by Mr Lawlor meets the requirements of the order made by Mr Justice Flood. If Mr Justice Smyth finds the TD has failed to comply with the order, he could face further imprisonment.

In January, the judge gave the tribunal and Mr Lawlor the option to apply to the court before today's deadline if a difficulty arose. The fact that the tribunal has not exercised this option is being taken as an indication that Mr Lawlor has provided some documentation. Sources close to Mr Lawlor said last night the TD had met the fortnightly deadlines for submitting records. Mr Lawlor was "working around the clock" with his staff to give the tribunal what it wanted.

Mr Lawlor had also sworn the affidavits of discovery demanded by the tribunal.

Mr Lawlor spent seven days in Mountjoy Jail in January before returning to his office in Leinster House. He resigned from two Oireachtas committees just before members voted to remove him. The balance of his sentence was suspended until November, by which time he is expected to have completed his evidence to the tribunal.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, builders Mr Tom Brennan and Mr Joseph McGowan are due to appear before the tribunal to give evidence regarding their financial support of the former Fianna Fail minister Mr Ray Burke. The leading auctioneer, Mr John Finnegan, has also been summonsed to give evidence.

The tribunal has linked the three men to the ownership of an offshore company, Canio Ltd, that channelled £75,000 to the former politician in 1984 and 1985. Some £60,000 of this came from a bank loan that was secured on lands purchased by Canio in Sandyford, Co Dublin, in 1984.