Provisional trial date of June 25th set for Haughey obstruction charge

A provisional trial date of June 25th has been set to hear an obstruction charge against the former Taoiseach, Mr Charles Haughey…

A provisional trial date of June 25th has been set to hear an obstruction charge against the former Taoiseach, Mr Charles Haughey, arising from the 1997 McCracken Report into alleged payments to politicians.

Mr Haughey attended Dublin District Court yesterday to hear the taking of depositions from Mr Ben Dunne and Mr Justice McCracken, in relation to the charge under the 1979 Tribunals of Inquiry Act.

The District Court stage of the case is to resume next week when the trial date will be finally agreed.

In the District Court, sitting in the former Richmond Hospital courts complex, Mr Haughey sat throughout the day's proceedings while the court registrar took down deposition statements in longhand. The taking of Mr Dunne's statement took the entire morning.

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Mr Dunne's solicitor, Mr Noel Smyth, also attended yesterday but was excused and did not make a deposition.

The proceedings cannot be reported prior to a full court hearing.

Mr Haughey remained impassive throughout the proceedings yesterday. He was represented by two senior counsel, Mr Eamon Leahy and Mr Eoin McGonigal.