O'Donoghue orders urgent inquiry into issuing of pub license to Nevin

The Minister for Justice has ordered an urgent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the issuing of a pub licence by Judge Donnchadh O'Buachalla to Catherine Nevin. Mrs Nevin was convicted earlier this week of murdering her husband, Tom. The President of the District Court and the Chief Executive of the Courts Service have both been asked to investigate the matter. A separate Garda report has been completed and is to be submitted to the Minister. In a statement earlier today, Judge O'Buachalla said that an application for the licence had been made in open court and, he said, a Garda inspector confirmed that they had no objection.

The Gardaí said in their report that they had no objection to the renewal of the licence in Mrs Nevin's name. Although a murder suspect, they point out that she was an innocent woman. Magill Magazine alleges that the licence was transferred to her by Judge Donnchadh O'Buachalla, sitting in chambers and without proper notice to the Gardaí. In his statement, Judge O'Buachalla said that it was necessary to amend the existing licence because a renewal certificate could not be granted to a dead man. He said that this difficulty had been brought to the attention of the court in 1997, and that a Garda Inspector attended all discussions in relation to this matter.

Fine Gael's justice spokesman has told the Dáil that the Garda inspector, who was present for the transfer of the pub licence to Catherine Nevin, asked at the time why he had been called in to the judge's chambers. Jim Higgins said that Inspector P Finn's report shows that he was in Wexford District Court on 29 September, 1997, when Mrs Nevin solicitor applied for the transfer in the judge's chambers. Inspector Finn said that he had been requested to attend and he immediately asked why he was there, as he was not on notice. He said that the session was not a public court hearing, as it was in the judge's chambers, and that the formal notice for the licence transfer application, as required by law, had not been given.

In the Dáil, John O'Donoghue repeated that he would not yet be making a statement about the affair. He said that it would jeopardise the enquiry he ordered earlier today. Mr O'Donoghue said that his Department had been aware for some time of concerns about the transfer of the licence to Catherine Nevin, but had decided not to do anything while the criminal trial was proceeding. He said that preliminary inquiries about this issue had been made and correspondence had been exchanged about it.

The Minister was replying to a question from Jim Higgins, who said that the district judge involved had for a time been struck off by the Law Society for bankruptcy, but afterwards had been allowed resume his practice and been appointed a judge. Deputy Higgins said that the judge had granted a pub licence he knew full well he should not have granted, and so should be asked to stand aside, while the various investigations are going on. Fine Gael's deputy leader, Nora Owen, earlier called on John O'Donoghue to make an interim statement in the Dáil.

Magill magazine quotes Gardaí as saying that they had no opportunity to object to the transfer, which they would have done because of the charges Catherine Nevin was facing. The Minister for Justice said that he would make a full statement on the matter after the Garda Commissioner and the Chief Executive of the Court service had reported back to him. Mrs Nevin was convicted on Tuesday of murdering her husband. In the course of her trial, Judge O'Buachalla gave evidence that he did not have an irregular sexual relationship with her.