The Mahon Tribunal will be making a statement next Wednesday on the leaking of confidential information about payments to the Taoiseach.
Tribunal Chairman Judge Alan Mahon said that the issue was of great concern to the inquiry.
Earlier, both The Irish Times Editor, Geraldine Kennedy, and the paper's Public Affairs Correspondent, Colm Keena, refused to answer questions about the source of the leak and admitted destroying relevant documents.
Ms Kennedy told the Tribunal that she destroyed documents revealing payments to Bertie Ahern.
Mr Keena said he will not assist the inquiry in identifying the source of a leak revealing payments to Mr Ahern.
In evidence, he said he could not answer any questions about how he received information contained in a letter from the tribunal to businessman David McKenna last June.
Mr McKenna was one of 12 businessmen discovered to have made payments totalling £38,500 to Mr Ahern in 1993 and 1994.
Earlier, tribunal chairman Judge Alan Mahon warned Mr Keena that failure to answer questions in evidence is an offence punishable with a fine of up to €300,000 and two years in jail.
Both Mr Keena and Ms Kennedy were summoned to give evidence to the tribunal, which is investigating the leak of confidential information.
At the beginning of the hearing, Mr Mahon said that he was particularly concerned by Ms Kennedy's admission that she had destroyed a document after taking legal advice.
The chairman also said The Irish Times had been aware of a Supreme Court injunction prohibiting the publishing of confidential tribunal information.
The National Union of Journalists has given its support to Ms Kennedy and Mr Keena in their refusal to reveal their sources to the tribunal.
Secretary of the NUJ Séamus Dooley said: ‘The right of journalists to protect sources is recognised internationally. The Irish Times has acted in the public interest.
'In her exercise of editorial judgement the Editor of The Irish Times had to take into account the significant public interest attaching to the information released to the newspaper.’
