A senior Dublin detective has said he was perplexed that colleagues in the force in Co Donegal would not come forward and give their accounts of a conference held in the early evening during the arrests of six people for the death of Raphoe cattle dealer Richie Barron.
Det Insp Eamonn O'Grady said up to 10 people attended the meeting at 6pm on December 4th 1996, and two of his colleagues told the gathering that they felt Frank McBrearty jnr, one of those arrested, might be willing to make a statement.
Det Insp O'Grady was one of four members of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation who questioned Mr McBrearty jnr during his arrest on December 4th, 1996, on suspicion of murdering hit-and-run victim Richie Barron.
"I would wish and I would love that more people who were at that conference would say they were there," Det Insp O'Grady said.
"I'm perplexed that only one member in Donegal has come forward and said 'Yes, I remember being at that conference, I remember that discussion taking place'. I am baffled by that, I have to say."
Earlier, several gardaí from Donegal told the tribunal they did not know of the 6pm meeting and had not heard of it afterwards, and were surprised when they learned later Mr McBrearty jnr had made a statement of admission. Mr McBrearty jnr denies he made any admission in Garda custody.
Det Sgt John O'Toole, who worked in the incident room co-ordinating the investigation, said he did not remember such a meeting. He said the only meeting he recalled on the evening of December 4th, 1996, was a later meeting at 10pm, after most of those arrested had been released.
Retired sergeant Martin Moylan, who also worked in the incident room, said he thought he had gone on a tea break at 6pm. Before that, he was working in the conference room.
Mr Moylan said he returned to the incident room before conducting an interview at about 7pm, and met two of the Dublin-based detectives.
"I think I asked them 'how's it going fellows'?" Mr Moylan said.
"They gave me the sense they were making progress.They didn't elaborate, just said they were making progress with the interview." Mr Moylan said he was not aware of any conference held in the interview room while he was on his tea break. "If there was a formal conference I wouldn't have gone to my tea," he said.
The former sergeant said he could not remember who else was in the room when he spoke to the detectives.
The tribunal resumes on Wednesday.