Judgement due in Omagh civil suit
Judgement is expected later on Monday in the multi-million pound civil case brought by the families of some of the Omagh bomb victims.
Mr Justice Morgan will give his verdict against five men being sued over the 1998 Real IRA atrocity.
No one has ever been convicted for the August 1998 bomb, which killed 29 people – plus unborn twins.
In a lawsuit which made legal history, some of the bereaved are seeking an order for damages.
They claim the five men, including jailed dissident republican chief Michael McKevitt, can all be held responsible. Each has denied liability.
In an unprecedented step, the hearing was relocated from Belfast to the Supreme Court in Dublin in May so that evidence could be heard from Irish police officers.
It was the first time a judge from Northern Ireland had travelled to the Republic of Ireland on official business.
The case was also the first time that the British government had helped to fund a civil action.
In 2003 it contributed £800,000 towards the £1.5m needed to launch the action.
In 2008 two of the defendants lodged an appeal against exceptional legal aid being granted to the victims’ families.
They said a public pledge of financial assistance to the families ahead of any legal authorisation was predetermining the outcome of the legal process.
But the Court of Appeal ruled it could not be assumed the government had abandoned its fair and independent judgement.
The men being sued
- Michael McKevitt – Co Louth
- Colm Murphy – Co Louth
- Liam Campbell – Co Louth
- Seamus McKenna – Co Armagh
- Seamus Daly – Co Monaghan
