Judge ‘walks out’ amid Lawlor onslaught

JUDGE Alan Mahon staged a “walkout” on the Planning Tribunal yesterday as Liam Lawlor attempted to raise the recent revelation that the chairman had once made a £20,000 tax settlement with the Revenue.

Launching a scathing attack on the tribunal, Mr Lawlor questioned Judge Mahon’s ability to rule on his affairs in “an independent and unbiased manner”.

Mr Lawlor used the revelation about Judge Mahon’s tax settlement with the Revenue in 1992 to try and restrict the tribunal from ruling on whether he should be liable for the inquiry’s costs.