Dublin West TD Mr Liam Lawlor has agreed to the Flood tribunal investigating his telephone records and accounts on all mobile and land lines over the last six years.
Mr Lawlor was released from Mountjoy prison on Wednesday, having served a week for contempt of court. Last Monday, the prison governor, Mr John Lonergan, appeared at the tribunal to hand in three mobile phones which Mr Lawlor had brought to the prison. The tribunal kept the telephones but the legal team was waiting for consent to be given by Mr Lawlor for their investigation. A detailed order made yesterday at the tribunal, after Mr Lawlor's legal team consented, goes further to include the handing over of all telephone records and accounts in his possession and those of the telephone companies for mobiles, land lines, FAX lines, dating from January 1st, 1995, by February 15th. Mr Desmond O'Neill SC, for the tribunal, said Mr Lawlor had given consent to telephone company service providers authorising the tribunal to access records and information contained in the records of the telephone companies.
Mr Lawlor's solicitors were furnished with the form of draft order which the tribunal was considering making on the records and were consenting to the order in those terms.
The records were to include all records in the possession of the telephone service providers, all personal directories, whether electronically stored or otherwise, all documents relating to the acquisition and/or use of the telephones, including the charges made in respect of their use.
In relation to the mobile phones, Mr O'Neill said: "As part of that order, it was agreed that the telephones and apparatus presently retained by the tribunal, the property of Mr Lawlor, may be retained until the relevant information has been extracted from that apparatus."
He anticipated this would be carried out within the week.
The tribunal was adjourned until Tuesday.