Mahon Tribunal

Mahon Tribunal
Date4 November 1997 (1997-11-04) – 22 March 2012 (2012-03-22)
LocationDublin, Ireland
Also known asTribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments
Flood Tribunal
Participants
Websitewww.planningtribunal.ie

The Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments,[1] commonly known as the Mahon Tribunal after the name of its last chairman, was a public inquiry in Ireland established by Dáil Éireann in 1997 to investigate allegations of corrupt payments to politicians regarding political decisions.[2] It mostly investigated planning permissions and land rezoning issues in the 1990s in the Dublin County Council area. Judge Alan Mahon was the final chair of the tribunal and its other members were Judge Mary Faherty and Judge Gerald Keys. The original chairman, who was the sole member until just before his retirement, was Judge Feargus Flood, giving rise to the original common name of the Flood Tribunal.[3]

Using investigations to collect evidence and public hearings with witnesses, it investigated allegations made in the media prior to its establishment and allegations subsequently made to the tribunal itself. The tribunal ran from November 1997 to March 2012 and was the longest running and most expensive public inquiry held in the Republic of Ireland,[4] with costs forecast to reach between €250 million and €300 million.[2] Public hearings concluded in September 2008, and following several delays due to legal challenges, the tribunal began preparing its final report.[5] It published four interim reports, and the final report was published on 22 March 2012.[6] On 2 April 2008, then-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern resigned due to continuing controversy over the payments.

  1. ^ "Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments Bill 2004". Oireachtas Éireann. 2004. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Overview: What is the Mahon tribunal?". The Irish Times. 22 March 2012. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  3. ^ Shane Coleman (22 March 2012). "The Mahon Tribunal 1997 – 2012". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  4. ^ "Cuts in tribunal barristers' fees delayed over fear of 'disruption'". The Irish Times. 6 September 2004. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  5. ^ "Mahon Tribunal now free to publish final report". The Journal.ie. 25 November 2010. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011.
  6. ^ "Mahon Tribunal – Key Findings". RTÉ News. 22 March 2012. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2012.