The High Court has begun hearing a challenge by two directors of Joseph Murphy Structural Engineers (JMSE) to findings that they obstructed and hindered the planning tribunal's inquiries.
The proceedings have been brought by Joseph Murphy, Ashley House, Batterstown, Co Meath, and Frank Reynolds, Pelletstown, Co Meath, against the Flood/Mahon planning tribunal.
Mr Murphy and Mr Reynolds are respectively the chairman and managing director of JMSE.
The tribunal found Mr Murphy had obstructed or hindered the tribunal by failing to tell the truth about the circumstances in which it is alleged he attended a meeting at the home of former minister Ray Burke in June 1989. It was alleged he handed Mr Burke a sum of money not less than £30,000 at this meeting.
The tribunal also found that Mr Reynolds had hindered the tribunal by failing to give a truthful account of his involvement in the gathering of funds paid to Mr Burke or of his dealings with developer Michael Bailey.
Opening the case yesterday senior counsel Paul Gallagher, for Mr Murphy, Mr Reynolds and JMSE, said they were challenging the validity of the findings of obstruction and hindrance upon which was based part of the rationale for the tribunal's refusal of costs to his clients.