Mahon Tribunal final cost could top €250m

The final cost of the Mahon Tribunal could top €250m and see lawyers and witnesses claim fees for years to come.

The tribunal, which held its last public sitting in 2008, is running up costs of over €50,000 a week, or €7,749 a day. The report is expected to be published as early as next week.

Despite paying out €97m to date, the head of the Department of Environment, which oversees the funding of the inquiry, has admitted that no definitive estimate is available on the tribunal’s final cost but, based on calculations, would cost somewhere between €240m and €250m.