The Moriarty tribunal has studied more than 150 files relating to the work of the Ansbacher accounts, and the amount of detail involved has forced the postponement of public hearings of the evidence until the new year.
At a short hearing yesterday morning, the chairman, Mr Justice Moriarty, said he had hoped to hold a week of sittings before Christmas. While the evidence was now ready, he added, the interests of fairness had necessitated "a considerable series of meetings and correspondence over recent days", which had delayed its presentation.
He said it would be unfair to proceed with the lengthy prepared opening statement when the evidence relating to it would "inevitably span over and beyond Christmas". He promised resumed public sittings at the "earliest feasible date in January".
Yesterday's hearing featured further evidence from a former Guinness and Mahon banker, Mr Padraig Collery, who gave details of payments into accounts used for the benefit of a former Taoiseach, Mr Charles Haughey, between September 1992 and the end of 1996.
Mr Collery confirmed that £703,500 was transferred into Mr Haughey's S9 account on October 1st, 1992. The money came from the S7 deposits, one of a number of confidential accounts controlled by the late Des Traynor, which was used specifically for investments, the tribunal heard.
Counsel for the tribunal, Mr John Coughlan SC, said Mr Collery was able to inform the tribunal that on September 30th, 1992, the total sum in the S accounts belonging to Mr Haughey was £1,286,661 sterling. This was made up of £1,203,395 in the S9 sterling account and £83,266 in the S8 sterling account.