A defence lawyer for Mr John Gilligan, who is on trial for the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin, told the Special Criminal Court yesterday that protected witness Charles Bowden had lied to gardai and continued to lie in the witness box.
Mr Michael O' Higgins SC said Bowden lied to the court about £100,000 found by gardai at a flat in Mespil Road and which he claimed was his life savings from drug dealing.
"The evidence that he had earned substantially more money than was found in Mespil Road is overwhelming," he said.
Mr O' Higgins said Bowden had admitted to the court that he could give no explanation "consistent with the truth" about the money, and this "drives a coach and horses through his credibility as a witness in this case."
"Mr Bowden's testimony is such that telling the truth was as much likely to cause him bother as telling lies," he said.
"When eventually he is cornered and confronted with the facts he will make concessions and only in those circumstances will he make concessions."
Mr O' Higgins was making the closing defence submissions on the 41st day of the trial of Mr Gilligan (48), who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Sun- day Independent crime reporter Veronica Guerin (37) at Naas Road, Clondalkin, Dublin on June 26th, 1996.
Mr O'Higgins will continue his closing submissions today.