Co Louth man Thomas “Slab” Murphy has lost his challenge to the constitutionality of a law under which tax charges against him are to be dealt with by the non-jury Special Criminal Court rather than the ordinary courts.
Mr Murphy, Ballybinaby, Hackballscross, Co Louth, is being prosecuted on nine charges of failing to furnish tax returns for 1996/1997 to 2004. These were brought in 2007 after a Criminal Assets Bureau inquiry. In his reserved judgment yesterday, Mr Justice Herbert dismissed the challenge.