The Flood tribunal has been adjourned until tomorrow to consider legal arguments from former minister Mr Ray Burke’s lawyer.
The lawyer will say inquiries into his client's financial affairs went beyond the tribunal’s terms of reference.
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Counsel for Mr Burke, Mr Aidan Walsh SC, said it was unfair for the tribunal to trawl through the financial affairs of Mr Burke.
"The cart is being put before the horse. Trawling through Mr Burke’s accounts and trying to backwardly attach them to the terms of reference is unfair."
Mr Walsh said that during the Gogarty and Century modules of the inquiry allegations had been made that they had or would answer, but he queried the legitimacy and point of Mr Burke being made to give account of his financial affairs of the last 20 years without a framework of allegations.
Mr Walsh said Mr Burke had co-operated with the tribunal at all times and had given explanations whenever explanations were sought. He said the tribunal was isolating Mr Burke and said donations to all political parties should be examined.
Mr Pat Hanratty SC for the tribunal said under the amended terms of reference Justice Flood was ordered to inquire into "whether any substantial payments were made or benefits provided, directly or indirectly, to Mr Ray Burke which may, in the opinion of the Sole Member of the Tribunal, amount to corruption or involve attempts to influence or compromise the disinterested performance of public duties".
Mr Hanratty said Mr Burke was in possession of huge sums of money from businessmen who may have stood to gain from decisions Mr Burke made. He said it was up to the tribunal to decide whether this was true or not.
Mr Justice Flood, who was half an hour late at Dublin Castle because of the snow, said he would deliver a written judgment on the matter tomorrow morning, or by 2 p.m. at the latest.