Joe McGowan (left), Admitted he should not have signed affidavit
The builder Joe McGowan has been accused of lying to and obstructing the work of the Flood Tribunal. Lawyers said that he had continued a "lifetime of lies" in his evidence to the Tribunal last year, when he failed to disclose off-shore payments to Ray Burke.
Patricia Dillon, Counsel for the Tribunal, said that an affidavit by Mr McGowan to the High Court in 1985 was "littered with lies". One paragraph alone contained six lies. "When you are cornered you tell lies," she said, "just like you have lied with impunity to this Tribunal to protect yourself, Tom Brennan and Ray Burke."
Mr McGowan said that he was under pressure in 1985 and later corrected the record. His own partner Tom Brennan had refused to sign the statement, and he said that, in retrospect, he should have done the same. He could not explain why he had lied.
Accused of obstructing Tribunal
Mr McGowan denied that he had deliberately obstructed the Flood Tribunal by not disclosing the off-shore payments to Ray Burke until the Tribunal itself had uncovered them.
Ms Dillon, said that he had deliberately and wilfully withheld the information to ensure the Tribunal would never find out. Mr McGowan said that he had forgotten about the payments.
Ms Dillon also said that he had concealed information from his own legal team. The Chairman of the Tribunal, Mr Justice Feargus Flood, earlier said that there was a remarkable silence on the issue between Mr McGowan and his solicitors.
