The Garda in charge of the Witness Protection Programme claimed at the Veronica Guerin murder trial at the Special Criminal Court yesterday that the security of people in the programme would be at risk if details of its finances were revealed.
The officer, who cannot be identified by order of the court, said that the programme was financed from Garda funds and he was directly answerable to the Garda Commissioner.
He said that he had documentation relating to the welfare and relocation of people in the programme, but he told Mr Michael O'Higgins SC, counsel for Mr John Gilligan, that to reveal financial details would risk disclosing information which would be prejudicial to the security of those people.
Mr O'Higgins sought details from the officer of payments made to three protected witnesses in the trial, Russell Warren, Charles Bowden and John Dunne, and to their immediate families.
He said these witnesses were not "mere accomplices", they had been granted immunity from prosecution, and their families were being paid by the State. He submitted that he was entitled to know how much these people were being paid.
The officer told Mr Justice O'Donovan, presiding, that his primary concern in not giving financial details was that it might help disclose the location of people in the programme.
The court requested the officer to scrutinise the financial details concerning the three protected witnesses and their immediate families and give his opinion on whether overall figures of payments could be made available to the defence. The officer is due back in court today to give further evidence.
An Assistant Commissioner, Mr Tony Hickey, who is in charge of the Guerin murder investigation, told the court that he had discussions with the Criminal Assets Bureau about money which had been seized from Bowden, Warren and Dunne.
He said that at a meeting in November 1996 he had been surprised to learn that large sums of money which had been seized in the course of the investigation could not be handed over to the CAB.
He said he was advised that this was of new legislation. He said it had been agreed to return £10,000 to Bowden, £8,500 to Warren and £820 to Dunne.
It was the 33rd day of the trial of Mr John Gilligan (48), who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Sunday Independent crime reporter Veronica Guerin (37) at Naas Road, Clondalkin, Dublin on June 26th, 1996.
Mr Gilligan also denies 15 other counts alleging importation of cannabis and firearms and ammunition offences.
The prosecution has claimed that Mr Gilligan was in "control and command" of a criminal gang which imported and distributed large amounts of cannabis and that he organised the murder of Ms Guerin.
The trial continues today.