High Court dismisses first part of Sinn Féin challenge to Referendum Commission

A HIGH COURT judge has dismissed the first part of Sinn Féin’s legal challenge against the Referendum Commission over whether Ireland has a veto on the ESM or not.

The party lodged a judicial review at the High Court this morning challenging comments made by the Commission on 3 May that the government no longer had a veto of the European Stability Mechanism.

Lawyers for SF TD Pearse Doherty argued that the credibility of the Referendum Commission has been seriously damaged and has led to “contamination” of the referendum process.

In the High Court this afternoon the judge dismissed the first three of eleven points brought by Sinn Féin to the court, saying that they weren’t ultra vires ( beyond the powers of the Commission) and that since the comments were made more than three weeks ago, Doherty could have availed of the opportunity to pursue the case before now.

The judge adjourned the case until 8pm tonight and the court is to seek the attendance of the Referendum Commission at this evening’s proceedings in the court. The Commission had not been required to attend events earlier in the day.