The alleged "Real IRA" leader, Mr Michael McKevitt, yesterday sacked his legal team on the 24th day of his trial for directing terrorism.
Mr McKevitt's lawyers left the court after his counsel, Mr Hugh Hartnett SC, told the three judges: "Our instructions have been withdrawn by our client."
Mr McKevitt then addressed the court, explaining his decision to dismiss his legal team, and told the court: "I will not participate any further in this political show trial and I now withdraw with my dignity intact."
However, the court refused to allow Mr McKevitt's request to absent himself from the trial, and Mr Justice Johnson said they had no authority to do so.
The judge said the accused would be provided with daily transcripts, and the trial would continue.
The dramatic developments came after the court refused a defence application to halt the trial over inconsistencies concerning an alleged "Real IRA" Army Council meeting on February 17th, 2000.
The issue arose during evidence by detectives from the National Surveillance Unit who told the court of surveillance carried out on Mr McKevitt in February 2000.
It was the 24th day of the trial of Mr Michael McKevitt (53), of Beech Park, Blackrock, Dundalk, Co Louth, who denies membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise the IRA, otherwise Óglaigh na hÉireann, between August 29th, 1999, and March 28th, 2001. He also denies directing the activities of the same organisation.
Earlier the court had refused a defence application to halt the trial because of a defence claim that they had been "irreparably compromised" by the prosecution failure to disclose a Garda surveillance report for February 17th, 2000.
The defence had claimed there were inconsistencies between the proposed statement of an FBI agent, Mr David Rupert, in the book of evidence concerning an alleged meeting of the "Real IRA" Army Council on that date and his actual sworn evidence in court.
The defence also further claimed that the Garda surveillance report showed that the accused was at his home and not at an Army Council meeting in Greenore on the date indicated in Mr Rupert's proposed statement of evidence.
Mr Justice Johnson, presiding, said the court was satisfied that the issues could be adequately dealt with by recalling Mr Rupert so that the defence could be given the opportunity of addressing these matters. Mr Rupert finished his evidence last week after spending 15 days in the witness box.
Following the court's ruling, Mr McKevitt's counsel, Mr Hugh Hartnett SC, asked the court to discharge itself and said the defence was "disadvantaged and disabled" by the failure of the prosecution to disclose the Garda surveillance report until July 18th, when Mr Rupert had finished his evidence.
"That casts a very significant shadow in relation to the duty of disclosure throughout the trial. It casts a shadow over the whole question of disclosure in this case," he said.
Mr Hartnett said that the defence could not now be expected to "re-create and re-form" cross-examination at this stage of the trial.
Opposing the application, Mr George Birmingham SC, prosecuting, said that during 12 days of cross-examination little reference had been made to Ireland and there had been a "trawl through his [Mr Rupert's] life history". The defence had always been aware of the fact that there were inconsistencies and it had always been open to the defence to explore the inconsistencies.
When the court refused the defence application to discharge itself, Mr Hartnett asked for a short adjournment. When the court resumed, he said: "Our instructions have been withdrawn by our client."
Mr McKevitt's legal team left the courtroom, and Mr McKevitt then read from a typed statement and said he wanted to withdraw from the court.
He thanked his legal team "for their unrelenting work over the past five weeks".
The trial continues today.