Lawlor appeals for leniency

Liam Lawlor's lawyer has asked the High Court to be lenient with his client if it rules that he has still failed to co-operate with the Flood Tribunal.

John Trainor asked the court to impose a fine rather than send Mr Lawlor back to prison.

The disgraced Dublin TD is facing two months and three weeks in Mountjoy for failing to comply with an order to hand over all documents relating to his personal and business finances to the Flood Tribunal.

Mr Lawlor spent a week in prison last January for refusing to honour that order and the remainder of a three-month jail sentence was suspended provided the TD hand over all documents requested by the tribunal.

Mr Trainor told the High Court today that his client has since delivered 25,000 pages of evidence and that no more documentation can be accessed.

He said this means Mr Lawlor has complied fully with the tribunal's order.

However, in the event that the court disagrees, he asked Justice Smyth to impose a fine rather than send Mr Lawlor back to prison.