Former Taoiseach, Charlie Haughey is this evening facing a major financial set-back just 24 hours after revelations of his Paris spending spree on exclusive shirts. Mr Haughey, and his family, face a legal bill of up to half a million pounds because of their Supreme Court challenge to the Moriarty Tribunal. This afternoon the Court ordered that Mr Haughey, and not the taxpayer, should pay his costs in the case. But taxpayers will have to pay half Mr Haughey's legal bill for a previous High Court action. The original challenge to the Moriarty Tribunal was taken by Mr Haughey, his wife, sisters and daughters.
In 1998, Charles Haughey, his wife, daughter and sisters tried to prevent the Moriarty Tribunal investigating their financial affairs on a number of legal and constitutional grounds. The case lasted 6 days in the High Court. It was dismissed as "bordering on the absurd" by Justice Hugh Geoghan in light of the findings of the McCracken Tribunal. However, in July of 1998 the Haugheys won a partial victory in the Supreme Court when the Tribunal investigation team was ordered to return 36 orders giving it access to various bank accounts. The Supreme Court case lasted five days. The Haughey’s were represented by one of the country's top barristers, Eoin McGonigal, junior counsel and solicitors.
In effect Charles Haughey failed to prevent the Tribunal proceeding with its work. But he did have a minor victory in ensuring the fair procedures were followed when it came to getting access to the family bank accounts. Today the Haughey's contested that this partial victory entitled them to all costs for the High Court and Supreme Court. The Judges of the Supreme Court ordered the Haugheys to pay their own costs for the time the case was before them. The High Court costs of three days out of six for the Haughey's remains, in all the cost for taking on the Tribunal in the courts is estimated at a quarter of a million pounds.
The issue of the former Taoiseach's shirt expenses came up in the Dáil this morning on the order of business. It was raised by the Fine Gael leader John Bruton as Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was stating that the house would debate the UN convention against torture bill later today. Yesterday the Moriarty tribunal heard that in one year alone, Mr Haughey spent £16,000 on handmade shirts from Charvet of Paris.
