An action by the Fine Gael TD Mr Austin Currie alleging libel by the Sunday Tribune newspaper has been settled, the High Court was told yesterday.
The settlement was announced to Mr Justice Smith in the late afternoon following discussions between lawyers for both sides.
Mr Garrett Cooney SC, for Mr Currie, said that a sum of £25,101 which had been lodged in court was to be paid as part of the settlement.
Mr Patrick MacEntee SC, for the defence, read a statement which said that, in the Sunday Tribune edition of July 4th, 1999, under the by-line Tallyman, it was alleged that Mr Currie, while a member of the Northern Ireland power-sharing executive, had caused the internment of 30 people.
"This was untrue," the statement said.
It continued: "We acknowledge that Austin Currie was entirely opposed to internment and prominent in the campaign to bring it to an end.
"Austin Currie is widely acknowledged and respected as a leading initiator of the civil rights campaign in Northern Ireland in the late 1960s. We acknowledge his record as a campaigner against civil rights abuses in Northern Ireland, including the introduction and use of internment.
"The allegation was untrue, hurtful and caused great distress to Austin Currie and his family, which we regret. We have agreed to pay him appropriate compensation."