The governor of Mountjoy Prison has handed three of Mr Liam Lawlor's mobile phones to the Flood tribunal.
Mr John Lonergan appeared briefly at the tribunal yesterday to hand in the phones which were taken from Mr Lawlor on Wednesday as he entered Mountjoy Prison.
The phones will remain in a safe until tomorrow as Mr Lawlor's solicitors are to seek his consent for the phones to remain with the tribunal.
Mr Des O'Neill SC, for the tribunal, said the phones would remain "in the possession of the tribunal for the purpose of further investigation."
However, Mr Justice Flood said: "These are simply taken into custody, nothing else. They won't be touched in any way."
Mr Lawlor will be released from prison tomorrow, and his barrister, Mr Ray Delahunt, said he may consult him about the phones before his release, depending on whether the prison authorities allowed him access to Mr Lawlor.
Mr O'Neill said the phones would be identified by the manufacturer's name "rather than by carrying out any detailed forensic examination of them". The phones include a Philips Savvy, a Panasonic and a Motorola Timeport.
Mr Justice Flood told Mr Delahunt to inform him if he needed more time to consult Mr Lawlor. The matter was adjourned until tomorrow morning.
Mr Lonergan was served with a summons requiring him to attend the tribunal and hand over the phones.
He was asked by Mr O'Neill to confirm he was governor of Mountjoy Prison and if, as governor, he had custody of personal property checked in and detained in the prison. He replied that he did.