Gogarty seeks €3.5m legal costs

ONE of the main witnesses in the Planning Tribunal, James Gogarty, 86, has applied for €3.5m in legal costs arising out of his long-running involvement with the inquiry.

The former executive of Santry-based engineering firm JMSE was one of 10 parties who yesterday made submissions at a special sitting of the tribunal at Dublin Castle.

Mr Gogarty’s evidence proved crucial for the findings by the former tribunal chairman, Mr Justice Feargus Flood that former minister Ray Burke received a 30,000 bribe from JMSE in 1989.

Brian O’Moore SC, for Mr Gogarty said it would be grossly inequitable if Mr Gogarty did not get all his costs.

All parties who appeared before the tribunal yesterday argued that their costs should be paid as they had co-operated with the investigation and had no adverse findings made against them.

Among the parties who applied for costs through their legal representatives yesterday were Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern (€269,346); financier Dermot Desmond (€71,359) and former Sunday Business Post journalist Frank Connolly, along with his former employer Post Publications, (€170,000).

Lawyers for RTÉ have applied for costs totalling €490,494, while the IRTC (now known as the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland) has sought €133,717.

Judge Mahon said he hoped to give his ruling on the issue of legal costs next week.

Meanwhile, the planned hearings of the inquiry into allegations of corruption relating to the development of a major shopping centre at Quarryvale have been postponed pending the outcome of a High Court challenge by Owen O’Callaghan.