Key witnesses who could explain records of hoax extortion phone calls to a member of the extended McBrearty family may not be called to give evidence to the tribunal until next year, it has emerged.
The witnesses, who include Eircom staff and Garda personnel from crime and security divisions, were originally scheduled to appear at the end of the current module, which is looking into the phone calls and the Garda investigation into Mr Richie Barron's death.
Last year the Garda Commissioner, Mr Noel Conroy, confirmed that the death of Mr Barron had been redesignated as death due to dangerous driving.
Following recent changes to the planned schedule of witnesses, posted on the tribunal's website, the witnesses will not now be called until after the tribunal has inquired into the circumstances surrounding the arrest and detention of members of the extended McBrearty family.
Last year the tribunal heard how a series of hoax extortion phone calls was made in November 1996 to Mr Michael Peoples, who along with Mr Mark McConnell and Mr Frank McBrearty jnr was arrested for murder during the Garda investigation into Mr Barron's death.
Mr Peoples reported the phone calls to local gardaí, and also handed over a tape of one of the phone calls when he made a statement the following day.
A private investigator hired by the McBrearty family discovered later that four of the calls were made from the home of Mr William Doherty, a local Garda informer, and the fifth came from his Garda handler, John O'Dowd.
In a statement to the tribunal last year, Mr O'Dowd said that Mr Doherty made the phone call from his home.
He told the tribunal that he informed Supt Kevin Lennon, who was supervising his handling of the informer, about the call, and that the superintendent later told him he had "sorted" the phone calls. Mr Lennon has denied he was ever told that Garda O'Dowd knew about the phone calls.
A formal application for phone records showing incoming calls to Mr Peoples's home was made in 1997.