Mahon tribunal: The tribunal has suffered a major blow with the resignation of the leader of its legal team.
Mr John Gallagher SC, who has earned over €2,774,936 in legal fees since 1997, is leaving the tribunal at the end of the month, to return to private practice in the Law Library. Yesterday was his last day to attend public hearings.
Further high-profile departures are expected from the tribunal's legal team next year. Under revised terms of reference approved by the Oireachtas this month, the inquiry is expected to wind up by 2007.
A former garda from Co Mayo who specialised in planning law for many years, Mr Gallagher played a prominent role in many of the highlights of the tribunal in its early years. In particular, he led the evidence of Mr James Gogarty, the former building company executive who revealed a £30,000 bribe to Ray Burke.
Making the announcement, Judge Alan Mahon admitted Mr Gallagher's departure was a "big loss" to the tribunal. He described the barrister as a "driving force" who, with the first chairman, Mr Justice Feargus Flood, had built the tribunal "from the ground", starting with "little more than a blank sheet of paper".
Judge Mahon paid tribute to Mr Gallagher's "enthusiasm, dedication and boundless energy".
On behalf of the tribunal's legal team, Mr Des O'Neill SC praised Mr Gallagher's "unique skills and leadership qualities".
Mr Gallagher recalled that he began working at the tribunal seven years ago "with great reluctance". He was told the inquiry would last six to eight months and was confident he would be able to return to private practice in 1998.
