Fitzwilton loses bid to stop hearing on Burke payment

THE Fitzwilton group yesterday lost a High Court bid aimed at restraining the Mahon Tribunal from holding a public hearing into the payment in 1989 by one of its companies of £30,000 (€38,092) to former minister Ray Burke.

But an injunction put in place stopping the tribunal from starting the public hearings in the matter is to stay in place until the new year as the Fitzwilton group, owned by billionaire and Independent News and Media chief executive Tony O’Reilly, consider an appeal.

Fitzwilton had claimed the tribunal could not proceed to a public hearing into the matter because this would be in breach of its terms of reference as amended in December 2004.