Council drops appeal against Poolbeg incinerator judgment

Dublin City Council (DCC) has withdrawn its Supreme Court appeal against a High Court judgment in which senior staff were severely criticised for secretly manipulating official waste records.

The council had appealed the ruling of Mr Justice Liam McKechnie, who said the council showed bias and unfairness in order to benefit its joint-venture involvement in the controversial €500 million Poolbeg incinerator project.

RTÉ’s This Week programme said that DCC has spent more than €2 million on the five-year legal appeal to date.

It reported that the judge had singled out retired assistant city manager Matt Twomey and the consultancy firm RPS in his judgment over what he said was a blatant bid to alter city waste reports to suit a pre-judged end-result.

RTÉ also reported that the council had recently notified the other parties to the appeal that it was no longer challenging the findings of the judge.

RPS declined to comment on the council’s decision to drop the appeal.

DCC confirmed it had now withdrawn the action, but declined to offer any further comment.

‘Waste of public money’

Local Fine Gael councillor Paddy McCartan, who opposed the incinerator project, told RTÉ the council's decision to appeal the ruling, and the spending of more than €2 million on the legal case, was a waste of public money.

The incinerator is designed to meet the waste needs of the eastern and midlands waste region and is considered crucial to the State being able to meet its landfill diversion targets, without being dependent on sending waste overseas.