MR BEN DUNNE is expected to give evidence today to the tribunal of inquiry into payments made by Dunnes Stores or Mr Dunne to politicians or political parties.
He is the first witness to be called by the tribunal, which has sat twice already, to hear legal arguments.
Today at Dublin Castle it begins hearing evidence. Mr Dunne is the first witness to have been subpoenaed.
A Dail resolution on February, 6th, 1997, established the tribunal to investigate payments made between January 1st, 1986, and December 31st, 1996.
Set up under the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) Act, 1921, and the Tribunal of Inquiry (Evidence)(Amendment) Act, 1979, its chair is Mr Justice Brian McCracken.
Details of the payments were contained in legal letters that formed part of the correspondence between Mr Dunne and members of his family in the split that led to his removal as executive chairman of Dunnes Stores in 1994.
As part of that correspondence, Mr Dunne alleged that he paid £1.1 million to the former leader of Fianna Fail, Mr Charles Haughey.
Another document, commissioned from accountants Price Waterhouse by Mr Dunne's sister, Mrs Margaret Heffernan, who replaced Mr Dunne, contained details of payments to build an extension to Mr Michael Lowry's house.
The tribunal will investigate payments to members of the Houses of the Oireachtas, relatives and persons who come under the Ethics in Public Office Act, 1995, and political parties by Dunnes Holding Company and associated companies, Mr Dunne or people acting on his behalf.
The tribunal will take oral evidence in public this morning at 10.30 a.m. at Dublin Castle and will sit until 4 p.m. daily.
At a hearing of the tribunal earlier this month, counsel for the tribunal, Mr Denis McCullough SC, said that through the co-operation and assistance of the various political parties the tribunal had been given comprehensive information as to political contributions made by Mr Dunne. "Many, though not all, of the members of the Oireachtas have responded to the tribunal's request for information and a number have indicated that they obtained political contributions from Dunnes Stories or Mr Ben Dunne," he said.
As well as Mr McCullough, the tribunal's legal team includes Mr Michael Collins SC and Mr Tony Aston, barrister-at-law.
The solicitor to the tribunal is Mr John Lawless, from the Chief State Solicitor's office, and the registrar is Ms Annette O'Connell.