The Tanaiste, Ms Harney, has initiated legal proceedings against the Sunday Independent because of a frontpage report which linked her with irregular payments to politicians.
It is understood that Ms Harney took exception to the headline and tone of the article which, it was alleged, could have given the impression that she had been involved in wrongdoing.
The report was grounded in allegations made by Mr Liam Lawlor, the former Fianna Fail TD, before he was forced to resign as vice-chairman of the Oireachtas Finance and Public Service Committee, last week.
Mr Lawlor raised questions about the behaviour of the Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, and the Labour Party leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, before saying that the Tanaiste and her party, the Progressive Democrats, should make full disclosure of all income stretching back over 20 years and, in particular, when Ms Harney was serving on Dublin County Council.
The Sunday Independent report centred on payments made by the property company Dwyer Nolan Developments in the early 1980s.
Sources close to Ms Harney said last night that when she was a Fianna Fail councillor in the early 1980s she had received political donations from Dwyer Nolans.
The largest sum she had received had been £2,000, according to the sources, and payment had always been made by way of corporate cheques. Records of those donations should be available through the company's accounts. Political donations from the company had ceased when the Progressive Democrats Party was formed in 1985.
The total amount received by Ms Harney for any general election during that period had ranged from £4,000 to £6,000, according to the sources.
It was emphasised that the Progressive Democrat leader had not been asked to give evidence to the Flood tribunal.
The Sunday Independent report also contained a reference to three payments made to Ms Harney in 1981 and 1982 by the developer Mr Jim Kennedy.