The Flood inquiry was adjourned within minutes yesterday following an application by counsel for the Murphy interests, Mr Garrett Cooney SC, because of "developments over the weekend which have nothing to do with the business of the tribunal or any of my clients".
The tribunal was due to hear evidence from Mr Frank Reynolds, the current JMSE managing director. An application last Friday by Mr Reynolds to defer his appearance before the inquiry until later this week was summarily rejected by the tribunal chairman.
His legal team (which includes Mr Cooney) later informed Mr Justice Flood that he would make himself available on Monday, which he did. Mr Cooney offered no explanation for the application, and neither did the tribunal chairman in granting it. He said a public statement on the matter would be deferred for "one or two days".
Mr Cooney said that while he very much regretted the inconvenience to the chairman and the other parties, this might be minimal and might just possibly prove to be beneficial for the inquiry.
The chairman said the tribunal's schedule would have to be altered. Accordingly it would sit half-an-hour earlier, at 10 a.m., for the rest of the week.
