The former Taoiseach, Charles Haughey, has been ordered to continue giving evidence at the Moriarty Tribunal, but he will be allowed to do so in private. The Chairman of the inquiry, Mr Justice Michael Moriarty said that he had arranged to have Mr Haughey examined by independent experts when it emerged that the Tribunal had not been given all the relevant medical documentation.
Two months ago lawyers for Mr Haughey said that his life expectancy would be shortened if he continued to give evidence before the Tribunal. Surprisingly, he instructed his legal team to lay bare in public his medical history, without first telling the Tribunal.
Today, Mr Justice Moriarty said that for reasons he did not wish to go into, he was not given access to all the relevant documents and he felt he could not rely solely on the medical reports given to him by Mr Haughey’s legal team. For this reason he engaged the services of two internationally renowned urologists both of whom examined Mr Haughey. They told him Charles Haughey is medically fit to give evidence but that because of his health status, special arrangements should be made for the taking of that evidence. It is now proposed to question Mr Haughey in private in a room in Dublin Castle. Transcripts will later be read into the public record.
The Chairman has also indicated that the Tribunal is in the final stages of its inquiries. He said the evidence in relation to the money trail has been completed. Still to be explored is the manner in which the Revenue Commissioners evaluated the tax liabilities for Mr Haughey and Michael Lowry. In relation to Mr Haughey this evidence will be dealt with in December and regarding Mr Lowry in early January.
