The Dublin West TD, Liam Lawlor, has agreed to let the Flood Tribunal examine all his telephone records going back to January, 1995. The Tribunal Chairman today made an order for discovery, which includes Mr Lawlor's mobile phones. Yesterday, he was released from Mountjoy prison after serving a one-week sentence for contempt of court. Earlier, lawyers for the Tribunal claimed a further £40,000 remains unexplained in Century Radio's accounts.
Patrick Hanratty told the Tribunal that the sum was separate to the payment of £35,000 to Ray Burke. However, former director James Stafford has denied the possibility of any other payments. The Tribunal is examining how Oliver Barry claimed the money back from Century. Lawyers claim that James Stafford refers to the sum in a letter to his own solicitor which links them to cash payments of which he did not approve. However, Mr Stafford said that his instructions to his solicitor on that occasion were mistaken. He had confused the two amounts, he said.
