1. The
Applicant is detained in custody on foot of a Committal Warrant issued by the
Special Criminal Court on the 7th November, 1996. He had previously been
detained by a purported Order of the same Court dated the 8th October, 1996.
It is common case that the Order of the 8th October, 1996 was made by the
Special Criminal Court in circumstances where one of the Judges who sat on it
was ineligible so to do. That Judge was His Honour Judge Dominic Lynch. He
had, at his own request, been removed from membership of the Court by a
decision of the Government dated the 1st August, 1996. That decision was not
communicated to Judge Lynch who continued to sit as a member of the Special
Criminal Court. He was not, however, competent to sit on the Court on the 8th
October, 1996 and the purported Order made by that Court on that occasion was
invalid.
2. Notwithstanding
the making of that invalid Order by the Special Criminal Court, the Applicant
was detained in custody in purported compliance with it.
3. On
the night of the 6th November, 1996 or early in the morning of the 7th
November, 1996 the Applicant was allegedly released from custody and
rearrested. What happened on that occasion is very much in issue in these
proceedings.
4. Later
on the 7th November, 1996, he was brought before the Special Criminal Court and
remanded. It is on foot of that remand that he is in custody at present.
5. On
the 12th November, 1996 an application was made to this Court on behalf of the
Applicant for an enquiry pursuant to Article 40 of the Constitution into the
lawfulness of his detention at Portlaoise Prison. That application was granted
and the enquiry has been proceeding since then. In the course of these
proceedings, the Applicant served a Notice of Motion seeking discovery against
the Respondent and a number of the Notice Parties to the application.
6. On
the 22nd November, 1996, I made an Order on foot of that motion. That Order
was made on consent and directed the Director of Public Prosecutions, the
Minister for Justice, the Commissioner of An Garda Siochana and the Attorney
General to make discovery by the 29th November, 1996. They were directed to
make discovery on oath of all documentation, data and records within their
possession, procurement or control touching on or concerning
7. At
this point, I should digress to point out that the Applicant is one of a number
of applicants who make complaint concerning their detention on foot of remand
orders made by the Special Criminal Court in circumstances similar to those
already outlined in this judgment.
8. Much
confusion has been caused by virtue of the fact that some of the applicants,
although represented by the same firm of solicitors, have instructed different
Counsel who have sought and obtained different forms of Discovery Orders
against the Respondents and the various Notice Parties. Some of these Orders
were more extensive than others.
9. The
Respondents and Notice Parties have filed Affidavits in common form in
accordance with the most extensive Discovery Orders which have been obtained.
It follows that even those applicants who sought and obtained more restrictive
Orders than others have benefited by being furnished with the fullest discovery
which has been made. In the instant case, the more extensive form of Order was
obtained and has purportedly been complied with in full.
10. In
this application there is sought a series of Orders directed to three of the
Notice Parties pertaining to the discovery which has been made by them. These
Notice Parties are the Minister for Justice, the Attorney General and the
Director of Public Prosecutions. The Orders sought are as follows:
11. Apart
from relief number (6) all the others relate to claims of privilege asserted by
the Notice Parties in their respective Affidavits of Discovery.
12. There
was also served on the Notice Parties, a Notice of intention to cross-examine
in respect of the three Affidavits of Discovery sworn on their behalf. That
Notice sought the production of Mr Tim Dalton, Secretary of the Department of
Justice, Mr Richard Barrett, Legal Assistant in the Attorney General's office,
and Mr Barry Donoghue, Legal Assistant in the Office of the Director of Public
Prosecutions. That Notice, insofar as it is relevant, says that the Applicant
13. A
single Affidavit grounds this application. It is that of Michael E. Hanahoe
sworn on 11th December 1996. Paragraph 6 thereof sets forth in a short but
non-exclusive form the principal claims made by the Applicant which he alleges
give rise to his current detention being unlawful. He says that:
14. The
Affidavit goes on at paragraph 12 thereof to make an allegation that both the
Minister, the Attorney General and the Director of Public Prosecutions "
have
taken a policy decision to disclose only those documents that are in effect
concerned with the facts of the events which occurred on the 6th and 7th days
of November, 1996
".
15. It
further asserts the belief on the part of the Applicant that there are "
presently
(sic) in existence further categories of documentation which are both
admissible and material
"
to the enquiry.
16. The
deponent then goes on to set forth in the subsequent paragraphs examples of
what he says are documents which ought to have been discovered but were not. I
will return to consider these in due course.
17. The
Affidavit of Barry Donoghue, sworn on behalf of the Director of Public
Prosecutions, maintains a claim to legal professional privilege in respect of
the documents set forth in the second part of the First Schedule to his
Affidavit. That part of the First Schedule contains eleven different items.
In respect of the items Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10 and 11, the deponent avers that
those documents came into being for the purpose of giving or receiving legal
advice or are notes taken by the parties described in the Schedule to the
Affidavit as to the advice given by Counsel on the issues in suit.
18. Insofar
as item No. 1 in the second part of the First Schedule to Mr Donoghue's
Affidavit is concerned, he alleges that the privilege to be attached to that is
not that of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Nonetheless, he maintains the
claim to privilege because, he says, it may be a document in respect of which
another party to the proceedings may claim privilege because the document may
be one which was drawn up for the purpose of preparation of an Affidavit in the
proceedings. In fact the Director was correct in his belief that other parties
might claim privilege in this regard; they have done so. Similar
considerations arise in relation to the material set forth at Nos. 6 and 7 in
the second part of the First Schedule. Other Notice Parties to these
proceedings have claimed privilege in respect of them.
19. The
Affidavit of Richard Barrett, sworn on behalf of the Attorney General, makes
two separate claims to privilege. The first is a claim to legal professional
privilege and the second to executive privilege. Legal professional privilege
is claimed in respect of twenty one items which are set forth at numbers 11
through 31 of Section A of part 2 of the First Schedule to the Affidavit.
Executive privilege is claimed in respect of seventeen items which are set
forth at Section B of part 2 of the First Schedule of the Affidavit of
Discovery. All of the documents which are the subject of the claim of
executive privilege also have the claim to legal professional privilege
asserted in respect of them.
20. The
original Affidavit of Discovery sworn by Mr Barrett on the 29th November, 1996
did not set out the basis upon which the claim to legal professional privilege
was asserted. However, in a supplemental Affidavit sworn on the 16th December,
1996 at paragraph (7) he said
21. The
claim to executive privilege is set forth in respect of documents numbered 11,
12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 because it is claimed
they are confidential communications between on the one hand, a Minister of
Government or a Department of Government and on the other, the Attorney General
and his officials, or between officials of the Attorney General in relation to
affairs of State. The claim in respect of the documents numbered 30 and 31 is
because they are alleged to be confidential communications between the Chief
State Solicitor and the Department of the Taoiseach, for the purpose of
supplying information for Dail debates and questions.
22. The
Affidavit of Tim Dalton, sworn on behalf of the Minister for Justice, maintains
a claim to both legal professional privilege and executive privilege in respect
of certain documents. The claim to legal professional privilege is asserted in
respect of six documents which are numbered 53 through to 58 in Section A of
the second part of the First Schedule to the Affidavit. In the original
Affidavit of Discovery the basis upon which that claim was made was not set
forth, but in a supplemental Affidavit sworn on the 16th December, 1996 Mr
Dalton says this:-
23. Insofar
as a claim to executive privilege is asserted, that is maintained in respect of
a single letter dated the 1st November, 1996 from the Attorney General to the
Minister for Justice. Executive privilege is claimed in respect of that on the
ground that it is a communication in the area that in the public interest
requires confidentiality for the proper functioning of the Public Service.
Legal professional privilege is also asserted in respect of this letter since
it is the letter set forth at number 53 in Section A of Part 2 of the First
Schedule to the Affidavit, and such privilege is claimed in respect of it
because it is averred the letter was written for the purpose of rendering legal
advice.
24. The
Applicant seeks to cross-examine the deponents on their respective Affidavits
of Discovery. He seeks to do so in respect of two matters. The first is to
cross-examine them concerning the privilege which is claimed by them, and the
second is in respect of the application for further and better discovery which
is sought.
25. This
application to cross-examine was opposed by Counsel on behalf of all of the
Notice Parties.
26. The
proposition put by Mr McEntee on behalf of the Applicant is that he is entitled
to test, by way of cross-examination, what he describes as the bald claim of
privilege, which is made in the various Affidavits of Discovery. Furthermore,
he says that he should be entitled to cross-examine so as to establish whether
or not there are documents in the power, possession or procurement of the
respective Notice Parties which ought to have been discovered but were not.
27. Mr
McEntee was unable to produce any Irish authority in his favour which decided
that cross-examination on an Affidavit of Discovery was permissible. The
nearest he came to so doing was to rely upon the judgment of Johnson J. in
Murphy
(a minor) v. J. Donohue Limited & Ors
[1995] 2 ILRM 509. That was an application to strike out a defence for
failure to make full discovery in accordance with Orders made in that behalf.
In that case cross-examination did take place but on a consensual basis. Such
being so, the case is of little assistance in deciding the question of
principle of whether or not cross-examination is ever permissible on an
Affidavit of Discovery. However, Mr McEntee says that the mere fact that
cross-examination took place, even on a consensual basis, demonstrates that the
procedure is at least available. He submits that having regard to the
fundamental importance of the
habeas corpus
procedure prescribed under Article 40.4.2 of the Constitution, each and every
possible procedure ought to be available to the Court in ensuring the efficacy
of the Court's powers under that Article. He contends that once he
demonstrates that cross-examination is desirable upon the Affidavit, then that
is sufficient and the Court ought to permit him to proceed in that fashion.
28. Mr
McEntee cited three English cases which he said were supportive of his view
that such cross-examination is permissible in principle.
29. The
first of these cases is
Berkley
Administration Inc. & ors v McClelland & ors
(1990 FSR 381). That was an action for breach of confidence. The Plaintiff
sought the specific discovery of a number of categories of documents including
the whole of documents which had hitherto been discovered only in an edited or
partly blanked out form. They also sought discovery of certain documents in
the possession of personal Defendants relating to pre-incorporation
transactions of corporate Defendants of which those personal Defendants had
been directors. An Affidavit had been sworn by a Solicitor acting for the
Defendants as to the adequacy of the discovery already given. The Judge made
Orders for Discovery of certain categories of documents but refused others.
The Defendants appealed. In the course of his judgment at page 383, Mustill
L.J. (as he then was) said, in respect of item 5
30. On
the basis of that very brief assertion by Mustill L. J. as to the ability to
cross-examine a deponent, Mr McEntee asserts the entitlement so to do.
However, a consideration of the case in detail demonstrates that the Court of
Appeal did not appear either to have cited to it, or to refer in its judgment,
to any of the case law on the topic, the overwhelming bulk of which is to the
effect that cross-examination upon an Affidavit of Discovery is not permissible
in the Courts of England and Wales. As an authority for the proposition
advanced by Mr McEntee it is therefore, in my view, of comparatively little
help.
31. The
second English decision relied upon is that of
Re
Grosvenor Hotel
London
which is reported in the Court of Appeal at (1964) 1 AER 92. Those proceedings
involved a claim for a new tenancy of business premises against the British
Railways Board. That Board objected in its Affidavit of Documents to the
production of certain letters passing between the respondents and the Ministry
of Transport and the Treasury Solicitor. That objection was taken after
communication with the Treasury Solicitor. The Applicants applied by summons,
to which the Board and the Minister were Respondents, for an Order for
cross-examination of the Minister on his Affidavit. In the High Court the
Judge found that the objection was not properly taken in the Affidavit of the
Minister but declined to make an Order for his cross-examination. Instead he
made an Order that would enable the Minister to file a further Affidavit to
support the claim that the documents belonged to a class which on the grounds
of public interest ought to be withheld from production. The Court of Appeal
dismissed the appeal on the basis that it was a misconceived one. This was
because the Applicants had had a finding in their favour that no proper claim
for privilege had been made. Whether the Minister should be given another
opportunity to remedy that defect was at the Judge's discretion and no grounds
for interfering with his exercise of that decision had been established. Mr
McEntee relies on the
obiter
dictum
of Harman L.J. at page 94 where he said:-
32. The
final case relied upon by Mr McEntee was the decision of the Court of Appeal in
Lonrho
plc v Fayed and ors
(No 3) (The Times Law Reports June 24 1993). In that case the Court of Appeal
held that where at the interlocutory stage of an action, an Affidavit was made
by a party pursuant to an Order for specific discovery of documents, the other
party was not entitled to contravene what was sworn there by a further
contentious Affidavit or by obtaining an Order to cross-examine that party,
since the latter's oath in answer was conclusive.
33. In
that case an application was made to cross-examine in respect of documents
which, it was alleged, ought to have been discovered but were not. Counsel for
the Defendants submitted to the Court of Appeal that the law was clearly
established that the Oath or affirmation of deponents as to discovery of
documents that they had no further documents was conclusive and could not be
questioned at an interlocutory stage. The reason for the rule, he said, was to
avoid prolonged interlocutory hearings and because grave injustice could result
if crucial issues of the trial were to be determined on wholly incomplete and
inadequate evidence. He further submitted that if there was power to
cross-examine on such Affidavits, it should be confined to cases where the
existence or fate of the documents raised discrete questions not involving the
Court in reaching preliminary conclusions on the issues in the action. Counsel
for the Plaintiff submitted that it was not, and never had been, the law that
such further Affidavit of Documents was conclusive. If that were so, he said,
the Court would be powerless to enforce its Orders.
34. In
the course of the leading judgment Stuart-Smith L.J., referred to the rule that
prohibited cross-examination on Affidavits of Documents which was affirmed by
the Court of Appeal in
Jones
v Montevideo Gas Company
(1880) 5 QBD 556. He went on to hold that there had always been a procedure by
which a party could seek a further and better Affidavit of Documents but the
criteria justifying the making of such an Order had altered over the years.
However, he held that the oath of the deponent on the further Affidavit was
conclusive. The report in its relevant part reads as follows:
37. This
authority appears to me to be against Mr McEntee since it is the unanimous view
of the Court of Appeal in England that cross-examination on an Affidavit of
Discovery is impermissible.
38. The
decision of the Court of Appeal in
Jones
v. Montevideo Gas Company
seems to have been relied upon by Stuart-Smith L.J. in the
Lonrho
case as being authority for the proposition that cross-examination on
Affidavits of Discovery was prohibited. That clearly was the import of the
decision of the Court of Appeal in the
Jones
case. However, a consideration of the judgments in it demonstrate that they
were concerned with the interpretation to be given to the then relevant
provision of the Rules of the Supreme Court, 1875. Even though, in the course
of his judgment, Brett L.J., says that an Affidavit of Documents must be
accepted as conclusive, he nonetheless speaks of the possibility of
administering interrogatories with a view to ascertaining the adequacy of the
disclosure which has been made in an Affidavit of Discovery. The view of the
Court of Appeal appears to have been based upon what was formerly the practice
in the Court of Chancery which apparently prohibited the contradiction of an
Affidavit of Discovery which had to be taken as sufficient unless, from the
documents referred to or from an admission in the pleadings of the party from
whom the discovery was sought or from the Affidavit itself, it could be
gathered that some documents were withheld. The object of that practice per
Cotton L.J. was to prevent a conflict of Affidavits as to whether the Affidavit
of Documents was sufficient. The Court of Appeal decided that a similar
practice ought to be followed in the Queen's Bench Division.
39. A
consideration of these English decisions suggests that there is at least some
doubt as to the existence of a rule which absolutely prohibits
cross-examination on an Affidavit of Discovery as far as the Courts of England
and Wales are concerned. This is particularly so having regard to the
observations of Harmon L.J. at the conclusion of the passage from his decision
in
Re
Grosvenor Hotel London
which I have just cited. If there is such a rule in English law, it appears to
be based upon a contention that the Courts there are obliged to accept an
Affidavit of Discovery as conclusive as to its contents unless, from the
documents referred to or from an admission in the pleadings of the party from
whom the discovery was sought or from the Affidavit itself, it could be
gathered that some documents were withheld.
40. I
do not accept that in Irish law an Affidavit of Discovery must be considered as
conclusive and can never be the subject of cross examination.
41. Just
as a certificate concerning the concentration of alcohol in a specimen of blood
or a specimen of urine was unacceptable to the Courts as "conclusive evidence"
of certain facts, so an Affidavit of Discovery cannot be regarded
ipso
facto
as conclusive (
vide
Maher
v. Attorney Genera
l
(1973) I.R. 140). It appears to me that the administration of justice, which
is vested by the Constitution in the Courts, requires that the Courts have the
ability to adjudicate fully upon the adequacy and accuracy of an Affidavit of
Discovery. In exceptional cases this may involve the cross-examination of the
deponent of such an Affidavit. To hold otherwise would mean that the Court
would be deprived from investigating the accuracy or adequacy of an Affidavit
of Discovery and would have to accept at face value what is averred therein.
It appears to me that the Court must always retain the power and make available
the necessary machinery to ensure that it is not so limited in administering
justice.
42. Such
observations apply
a
fortiori
where the Court is engaged upon an inquiry under Article 40 of the
Constitution. The Court must be astute to ensure that the remedy provided for
in Article 40 may be obtained efficaciously. In this regard the judgment of
the Court (Geoghegan, Laffoy, Kelly J.J.,) in
Gallagher
v. Director of the Central Mental Hospital
(unreported 9th July, 1996) is of relevance. There the Court said:-
43. It
appears to me that there are circumstances in which it may be permissible to
cross-examine on an Affidavit of Discovery. However, I am satisfied that such
circumstances are extremely rare. This is so because of the variety of other
remedies which are available with a view to testing matter contained in an
Affidavit of Discovery. These other remedies include Orders for further and
better discovery, the delivery of interrogatories, and the inspection by the
Court itself of documents referred to in an Affidavit of Discovery.
Furthermore, it appears to me to be wholly undesirable that the Court should,
save in the most exceptional cases, be called upon to deal with questions such
as the existence or non-existence of a document in circumstances where such a
question might impinge to a serious extent on the issues in the action.
Clearly at the stage when an issue of discovery of this type is being argued,
the Court cannot be fully
au
fait
with all the issues in the proceedings. I do not in this judgment wish to
specify the rare circumstances in which cross-examination on an Affidavit of
Discovery may be permitted. But it does appear to me that when permitted at
all, it should only arise in circumstances where it is both necessary and where
other remedies, such as those already mentioned, prove inadequate.
44. In
the circumstances of this case for reasons which I will give in a few moments,
I am satisfied that cross-examination on the Affidavits which have been made
here is unnecessary and inappropriate.
45. Each
of the Affidavits makes a claim to legal professional privilege in respect of a
number of documents referred to therein. I have set forth the basis upon which
this privilege is claimed
.
Prima
facie
,
on the basis of what is contained in the respective Affidavits, the claim to
legal professional privilege appears to be a good one. The only Affidavit
evidence to the contrary appears to relate to a letter from the Attorney
General to the Minister for Justice dated 1st November, 1996, where at
paragraph 24 of his Affidavit, Mr. Hanahoe says:-
46. Mr.
McEntee does not contest the existence of legal professional privilege or the
form in which it is claimed in respect of these documents. However, he says
that the documents, in addition to containing legal advice, may also contain
factual matter and that legal professional privilege would not extend to such
matter. He invites me to
48. I
cannot see that any advantage can be obtained by permitting a cross-examination
on the basis of Mr. McEntee's contention. If what he wishes is to have the
factual content extracted from the documents and disclosed to him, I cannot see
how the cross-examination of the deponent can assist in that endeavour. It
appears to me that cross-examination is neither necessary nor appropriate in
the present case.
49. If
the contention made by Mr. McEntee for a severance to be made of documents in
respect of which legal professional privilege is claimed is a good one, then of
course such documents must be examined by the Court with a view to carrying out
the exercise sought.
50. It
is not without significance that Mr. McEntee was unable to cite any authority
from any country in the world supporting his argument that the Court could or
should embark upon the exercise which he suggests. It is unprecedented and, in
my view, such is the case for very sound reasons.
51. It
appears to me that the proposition advanced by Mr. McEntee to the effect that
the Court ought in this case to direct the production of the documents in
respect of which legal professional privilege is claimed and then, in effect,
edit them so as to make factual matter in them disclosable to him, would be to
dilute in very considerable measure the whole notion and effect of legal
professional privilege. It would, in my view, be an unwarranted and dangerous
course to embark upon and would amount to a serious interference with what the
then Lord Chief Justice of England described as "
a
fundamental condition on which the administration of justice as a whole rests".
52. Quite
apart from the objection in principle, Mr. McEntee's formulation has many
practical difficulties attendant upon it. If he is correct in his submission,
any case in which legal professional privilege is claimed may, on the simple
request of the opponent, result in the Court being called upon to go through
the entire of the documents with a view to ascertaining, not the validity of
the claim to legal professional privilege, but rather to engage in the work of
editing the documents with a view to extracting from them factual material to
be disclosed to the other side. This exercise would have to be conducted at a
time in advance of the trial when no judge can be fully apprised of the entire
factual matrix against which the action is brought. The conduct of such an
exercise would, in my view, be much more likely to work against the
administration of justice than in its favour.
53. Accordingly,
I refuse both the application to cross-examine and the application for the
production of the documents in respect of which legal professional privilege is
claimed.
54. There
may well be a case (although I hope a rare one) where cogent evidence might be
adduced to suggest that a claim to legal professional privilege is being
wrongfully asserted. In such a case I do not exclude an ability on the part of
the Court to direct production of the documents in question. Such an exercise
would be with a view to ascertaining whether or not the documents were truly
privileged. That is not the proposition which was advanced in this case.
55. The
claim to executive privilege is made only by the Attorney General and the
Minister for Justice. The claims are made on the basis which I have already
set forth in this judgment. I, of course, accept the law on this topic as laid
down by the Supreme Court in
Murphy
v. Dublin Corporation
(1972)
I.R. 215 and more recently in
Ambiorix
Limited v
.
The
Minister for the Environment
(1992) I.L.R.M. 209.
56. The
principles applicable to such a claim are set forth in the judgment of Finlay
C.J. at page 212. He summarises them as follows:-
57. Given
this statement of the law, it is clear that in an appropriate case the Court
can and frequently does direct the production of the documents in respect of
which the claim to executive privilege is made for the purposes of those
documents being inspected by the Court. Upon inspection, the Court will decide
whether it is exempt from production or not.
58. In
the present case there is no attempt made to assert the executive privilege in
respect of a class or category of documents. Rather individual documents are
specified and the claim to privilege is asserted in respect of them.
59. Although
little is produced by way of evidence to controvert this assertion, I would be
prepared, were this an appropriate case so to do, to direct the production of
these documents for the purposes of their being examined by the Court.
However, I have concluded that it is inappropriate in the present case for the
following simple reason.
60. Each
of the documents in respect of which the claim to executive privilege is made
is also the subject matter of a claim to legal professional privilege. I have
already held that that claim is made in a proper form and Mr. McEntee has not
denied the existence of such privilege in respect of the documents which are
set forth in the various Affidavits. I have rejected his contention that the
Court should trawl through these documents with a view to separating the facts
from the legal advice which they contain.
61. If
I were to examine the documents in the present case and to hold that executive
privilege did not attach to them, they would still not be disclosed to the
Applicant by reason of the existence of a valid claim to legal professional
privilege. Accordingly, the exercise in the present case would be otiose. I
therefore refuse to make an Order for the production of these documents for
their inspection by the Court.
62. Given
that the existence of this remedy, i.e. production and inspection by the Court,
which might have been available but for the claim to legal professional
privilege, I likewise dismiss the application which seeks to cross-examine in
relation to this claim of executive privilege. It would be neither necessary
nor appropriate that such an exercise should be engaged in given the powers (in
particular the power of inspection) available to the Court.
63. The
final element of the application which I must consider is the claim for further
and better discovery.
64. Again,
the Applicant seeks to cross-examine in relation to this aspect of the matter.
Again, I reject his application in this regard since I do not regard it as
either necessary or appropriate that such cross-examination should take place.
If the Court is satisfied as to the inadequacy of discovery already made, it
may make an Order requiring further and better discovery to be made and if the
Applicant is still dissatisfied at that stage, there are other remedies
available to him apart from cross-examination on the Affidavit of Discovery.
In any event, on the facts I hold that such cross-examination is unnecessary.
65. To
the grounding Affidavit of Mr. Hanahoe there has been filed a replying
Affidavit by Mr. Tim Dalton, on behalf of the Minister for Justice and by Mr.
Richard Barrett, on behalf of the Attorney General. Each of those Affidavits
deals in detail with the complaints which are set forth in Mr. Hanahoe's
Affidavit and, in my view, constitute a satisfactory answer to the various
complaints which are made. It does not appear to me to be necessary to set out
in detail in this judgment the various factual matters which have been
canvassed in those Affidavits in any detail.
66. Having
regard to the very full Affidavit of Discovery made in particular by the
Minister for Justice and to the explanations which are set forth in the
replying Affidavits to which I have referred, I am not satisfied that the
Applicants have demonstrated the likelihood of the existence of further or
other documents pertinent to the issues which have been identified to date in
the proceedings. However, in common with the case of Michael Hegarty, I
propose to make an Order in this case for the exchange of pleadings as between
the parties. This will involve the Applicant delivering a Statement of Claim
and the Respondent and Notice Parties delivering defences to that Statement of
Claim. The delivery of such pleadings should ensure the identification of the
issues in the case in a rather more precise fashion than that set out at
paragraph 6 of Mr. Hanahoe's grounding Affidavit. I will direct that at the
conclusion of the delivery of pleadings each of the Notice Parties should serve
a further Affidavit of Discovery in respect of any documents which appear at
that stage to be relevant to the issues which fall to be tried in the
proceedings. That will ensure that at the time when pleadings are closed, the
question of discovery will be looked at anew in the light of the allegations
which will be advanced in Court on the substantive hearing.