The Superintendent who led the investigation into Tom Nevin's murder has told the resumed O'Buachalla inquiry that he was very unhappy at the procedure adopted by Judge O'Buachalla which led to the renewal of a licence for Jack White's Inn. In September 1997, District Judge Donnchadh O'Buachalla made an order during a private hearing in his chambers directing the Revenue Commissioners to issue the pub licence in Catherine Nevin's sole name.
Earlier a retired District Court clerk from Wexford told the O'Buachalla inquiry that he had no doubt that Judge Donnchadh O'Buachalla had the jurisdiction to make the order which led to a pub licence being renewed in Catherine Nevin's sole name. Andrew Cullen was giving evidence at the inquiry which resumed this morning. Chaired by Supreme Court Judge, Mr Justice Frank Murphy, it is examining Judge O'Buachalla's conduct in relation to the Jack White's Inn pub licence.
Mr Cullen was initially annoyed and perturbed when in September 1997 he was requested to remain in Judge Donnchadh O'Buachalla's chambers in Wexford Town for an application being made by lawyers acting for Catherine Nevin. He believed that they were making an application for what is called an ad interim transfer of the Jack White's Inn pub licence. Such applications should be made on notice in open court and Mr Cullen told the Judge and those present that he had never seen an application being processed in this fashion in his 37 years in the court service.
But as he told the O'Buachalla inquiry this morning, he had jumped to the wrong conclusion. It was an application for an order to regularise the tenure of the licence and satisfy Customs and Excise. Under cross-examination by John Rogers SC for Judge O'Buachalla, he said that he had no doubt that there was jurisdiction to do this.
The Inquiry is expected to continue hearing evidence all week.
