THE Government’s decision to fight a legal battle with Sinn Fein’s Pearse Doherty is set to cost half a million euro of YOUR money.
The new coalition continued with a case which had originally been fought by the last Fianna Fail/Green coalition.
Deputy Doherty had taken a legal challenge to force the last Government to call last November’s by-election.
Despite winning the case – and the by-election – the last Government and this Government continued the legal arguments on points of law.
Today Government consented to an order to pay the costs of of the case in opposing its appeal against his successful legal challenge to the delay in moving the writ for the Donegal South West byelection.
The Government had recently told the Supreme Court it was not proceeding with its appeal to that court against the High Court finding of “inordinate delay” by it in moving the writ for the byelection.
Mr Doherty was previously awarded his costs in the High Court.
Richard Humphreys SC, for Mr Doherty, said the matter could be dealt with on consent with an order striking out the appeal plus an order for Mr Doherty’s costs in the Supreme Court being made against the Government of Ireland, to be taxed in default of agreement.
Mr Doherty said the sheer ‘intransigence’ of both administrations in fighting a case they had already lost was ‘incredible.’
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