Dublin West TD Mr Liam Lawlor began a challenge today to a legal charge for more than €500,000 presented to him by the Flood Tribunal for High Court proceedings against him to the end of last year.
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Mr Liam Lawlor
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A further bill from the tribunal for proceedings since then - expected to run into tens of thousands of euros - has not yet been completed and will be dealt with at a later date.
The Flood Tribunal's costs are on top of costs which Mr Lawlor himself will have to pay to his own legal team, also likely to be several hundred thousand euros.
High Court Taxing Master Mr Charles Moran was being asked today to adjudicate on five bills covering 2001 and 2002 that totalled €562,028.
The sum includes lawyers' fees, various outlay and VAT. A legal cost accountant representing Mr Lawlor objected to various parts of the overall bill.
But legal cost accountant Mr Stephen Daly, for the Flood Tribunal side, said the proceedings in the High Court were of a very unusual nature. Counsel who had not been representing the tribunal at its own hearings, had to be brought in.
Mr Lawlor was not present for today's hearing where only legal cost accountants made submissions.
The five bills before the Taxing Master are for €75,691, €63,596, €195,717, €138,961 and €99,063. They all related to court hearings against Mr Lawlor for failing to comply with orders of the Flood Tribunal to produce various financial documentation.
Mr Lawlor was released from prison earlier this month after serving a one-month sentence. He also spent seven days in jail early last year and a second seven-day term in prison in January of this year.