Two Irish Times journalists have been ordered to pay all of the costs of their legal row with the Mahon Tribunal, despite winning their case.

The Supreme Court ruled last July that editor Geraldine Kennedy and correspondent Colm Keena should not be compelled to answer the inquiry’s questions about the source of an article in 2006 on payments to Bertie Ahern in the 1990′s.

However, today the court decided that because of exceptional circumstances they must pay both sides legal bill because of their reprehensible misconduct in destroying documentation that may have identified where the leak came from.

Geraldine Kennedy gave her reaction to the ruling.

“Naturally enough I’m disappointed with the decision – given that the Supreme Court had overturned the High Court case in July” she said.

“We won the case in the Supreme Court – it was a landmark decision, which enshrined the principle of journalistic privilege and protection of sources into Irish law for the very first time”.

“We will now have to consider our options” she added.