Mahon Tribunal report to be published tomorrow morning

By Hugh O'Connell

Judge Alan Mahon arriving at the Four Courts in Dublin last week. He has chaired the tribunal since 2003.

Image: Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland

21/03/12 2,986 Views 46 Comments

THE MAHON TRIBUNAL’S final report into planning corruption and payments to politicians will be published tomorrow morning, TheJournal.ie understands.

The Tribunal of Inquiry Into Certain Planning Matters and Payments was established almost 15 years ago and is the longest running tribunal in the history of the State. It is expected to cost as much as €300 million when final legal bills are settled.

The publication date of the final report has been the subject of much speculation in recent weeks. This evening, RTÉ political correspondent David Davin Power told the Six One News that a government source had confirmed to him the report would be published tomorrow.

TheJournal.ie has been able to confirm separately with a source close to the tribunal that its final report will be published tomorrow morning. It is expected to go live on the Mahon Tribunal’s website at 10am.

On Tuesday night, Village magazine tweeted to say the report would be published at 10am on Thursday.

Later Politics.ie noted that the magazine, previously owned by broadcaster and journalist Vincent Browne, is now published by Michael Smith, who, along with barrister Colm MacEochaidh, initially offered a IRL£10,000 reward for information that would lead to convictions for planning corruption.

The tribunal, which was initially chaired by Judge Feargus Flood and later Judge Alan Mahon, has spent the past 15 years investigating allegations of corrupt payments to politicians for the rezoning of land for development in the Dublin area.

The report is expected to deal extensively with the financial affairs of former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern who was forced to resign in 2008 amid ongoing controversy over evidence he gave to the tribunal concerning payments from developer Owen O’Callaghan.

Ahern has consistently denied any wrongdoing but questions were raised after his evidence was contradicted during the proceedings.

The report’s publication will come on the first anniversary of the publication of the Moriarty Tribunal’s final report into payments to politicians and related matters. That report was heavily critical of former government minister Michael Lowry.

Read: The who’s who of the Mahon Tribunal

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Comments (19 Comments)
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Declan Mannix 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
I’m sure Bertie will sleep like a baby tonight, his skin is as tough as the skin on the back of a jockeys bollocks.

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  Sheila Byrne 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  @ Declan,
  
  Lovely thought, you just left me with!!!!!!
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Noel Rock 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
Finally

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  Noddy Mooney 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Finally what?
  Finally a facile slap on the wrist for greed-mongers that couldn’t give a flying f**k what the report contains?
  Finally a €300 million whitewash for the media to pretend is of some kind of relevance?
  Finally an end to extortionate legal fees?
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  Noel Rock 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  What a waste of words: finally it’s finished. This went on for an absurd length of time and cost way too much.
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  Noddy Mooney 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Couldn’t agree more Noel. Just using your succinct comment as an intro to my own anger.
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  michael cuthbert 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Anger at what? The cost, or the anticipated findings. Look forward to seeing this tome…
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  Noddy Mooney 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Anger at this political smokescreen that will serve no other purpose than to line the pockets of the legal profession (who do think is paying their exorbitant fees?) and to make it even more difficult to convict anyone than it would have been without a tribunal. In a few months it will all have blown over (as intended), nothing will have been achieved and nobody will be prosecuted.
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  michael cuthbert 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Think I know who’s paying? Worry not, the little green men are watching. Full refund being wired from Mars.
  
  Anyway, there’s already been convictions. Hopefully there’ll be more. The fact that lawyers are over-paid and some have become millionaires should have no bearing on how the State deals with wrong-doing discovered by Mahon. The State can’t use evidence presented in the report, but that is not a bar on the DPP bringing forward prosecutions based on evidence produced through Garda/CAB/Revenue investigations…
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  Fagan's 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  While the Tribunal has cost several hundred million, it has netted nearly a billion in fines, taxes and interest payment. So we have made a profit out of it.
  
  On top of that it has defined for a generation the corruption that is FF politics and practice, it will blacked the dirty names of most of the leading figures in that party over the last 20 years.
  
  It helps destroy them as a political force, that is an investment in all our futures.
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  michael cuthbert 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Indeed so Mr Fagan…
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Snuffbox 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
That money could have Went towards the new childrens hospital. And as far as I am concerned the constitution should be torn up and re written anyone who takes payment for political favours should be tried for treason.

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  Rommel Burke 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  and those that make the payments.
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  Ed 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  I agree our system is broken beyond repair,a new way and a new constitution would be a start and of course retribution and redistribution.
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david whelan 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
Hope it is hard hitting and provides the DPP with enough evidence to throw lots of these SCUM into jail for a long time!!!

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  Noddy Mooney 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Yeah, just like all the other tribunals have done…
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  Norman Hunter 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Sorry for the bad news David but any evidence uncovered in a tribunal cannot not be used in a criminal trial.Makes you wonder why they were set up if noone will face jail unless…..
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  michael cuthbert 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Don’t despair Norman. You’re right that the DPP can’t use the investigations or findings of the Mahon report. But those found in the wrong can be pursued by the authorities so long as the State can produce evidence that can be presented in a court of law. The evidence is there whether or not Mahon discovered it…
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  Rommel Burke 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Well if any investigation is given the same urgency and commitment as the Anglo one, my kids might tell me about it one day.
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  michael cuthbert 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Mine wont. I’m being buried at sea…
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John Finn 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
Fifteen years? €300m? What a gravy train for the lawyers it has proved to be.

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  Sheila Byrne 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  John,
  
  I wonder they’re going to use the house tax on. It certainly won’t be amenities, local upkeep, pathways, lighting, blah, blah, blah, blah and all that sh1te! People it’s not going towards anything like that, please don’t be fooled.
  
  He hasn’t collected very much, has he, will he?
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Frank2521 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
There would be nobody left – I wonder will there be anybody in the planning department who signed off on these projects be arrested? The City Manager and his previous manager know what happened and whose signature is on the paperwork. Some of it has their names on it.

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Don Booker 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
Let’s see what a quarter of a billion buys.

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  michael cuthbert 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Worth every cent…
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  john g mcgrath 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Or who
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Ronan Sexton 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
Just an idea, why not send the legal bills to those whose mickey mouse investigation went against? No bill to the state, let them sort it out amongst them, then you will see skin and hair flying.

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Marion White 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
whats going to happen ???? its just going to confirm what the dogs in the street already know ,namely this country was run by corrupt politicions who lined there own pockets ,will any of them see the inside of a prison i doubt it very much thats just for poor people who cant pay their licence fee ,all that money to tell us bertie and his crooked friends where bold boys and girls ,this country is a joke but there the ones laughing !!!!!!

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Charles McCormack 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
Oh,lordy,hope Ahern gets slated in report,(criminal charges too much to hope for I s’pose,?),and expelled from FF. Mind you that’d be like giving a gurrier an ASBO these days, a badge of pride,!! In the schedule in his own conniving mind,he was probably thinking he’d be cutting the ribbon in a blaze of glory round about now on his “Bertie Bowl”,!! hahahahaha,loving,!! If he is expelled btw,does he lose all entitlement to the perks of an ex Taoiseach,??

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  Sheila Byrne 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  @ Charles,
  
  He couldn’t care less about FF or its members! He’ll set up a new group! The advertisement for membership will be ” DDDDDD D’ ya wanna be in mi gang, mi gang, mi gang”…… here’s to the next chapter in Irish history.
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Charles McCormack 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
@Sheila, haha,!! Party Ard Fheis’s in the kitchen cupboard,?? “Cabinet” meetings round kitchen table,?

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Gerard Murphy 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
Goodnight sweet Bertie……
We’ll be all rooting for you in the morning.

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  Sheila Byrne 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  @ Gerard
  
  Hope he has very good locks on his doors and windows in at least one of his houses!!!!!!!!! If he never had skid marks on his underpants – he will shortly!!!!!!! Run, Run runnnnnnn! :)
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  john g mcgrath 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  He has such a brass neck he won’t give a continental fuck about mahon and will probably get awarded his costs as he sails off on a first class seat to China
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THE GRINDER 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
Did Moriarty damage Lowry in any way. Not that any of us can see anyway. Is there any reason to believe this Report will result in any person being prosecuted for breaking the law, not really. Just a transfer of taxpayers money to the legal system. A continuation of a long established tradition in this statelet.

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Diego Attley 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
Will anyone see the inside of a cell? Waste of money!

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Susie Chester 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
Will it tell us anything new or just confirm what we already know ?

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  Sheila Byrne 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  @ Susie Chester,
  
  Will it finally put arrogant, fibbers, ‘short of the truth’ ass holes into JAIL!? No. Sadly not.
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Rommel Burke 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
Is it just me or is this a non-event? I just don’t see what how the costs can be justified balanced against any benefits. Costly window dressing to keep lining the nests of a select few to put it mildly.

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Owen Stafford 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
And once again don’t forget to pay your household charge by mar 31st!!!

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jimbo 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
Interesting lets see what cans of beans are opened,if any…And why it cost us so much which is a complete shame

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  Sheila Byrne 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  @ Jimbo,
  
  Unfortunately, nothing will happen, not even sure if everything (done/said) will be printed in it. It’ll probably sit on a shelf in someone’s basement like the rest of the Reports that the Irish people paid for and those didn’t hold anyone ACCOUNTABLE! either.
  
  As I said before, “2 laws”. They are threatening to fine us, jail us etc. if we don’t pay up, the EUR100 that shouldn’t be asked of us. Yet, these gangsters will walk ….. and keep smiling like Aherne!
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  michael cuthbert 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Dunlop, Burke and Redmond (?) have served time. Hopefully more to come. Time to make pariahs of all corrupt politicians, developers & public servants. Up to all of us now…
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Dermot Murphy 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
They are the untouchable ones.They have all the judges in their pockets.Nobody will be brought to book.Jail is too good for them.They should be stripped of the assets,pensions,the lot,and let them survive on the dole.

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  Mike Scott 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  You’re talking nonsense Norman!
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  Norman Hunter 21/03/12 Comment reported, thank you Report this comment
  Care to tell me why Mike?