Brussels the following day. Following publication of this timeline, reports appeared in the media claiming that Hogan had been seen at public restaurants with other individuals during this period, including on the evening of his arrival in Ireland, and that he had made a further trip to County Roscommon on 17 August for social purposes; these previously undisclosed details were seen as contradicting Hogan's own timeline. Martin, Varadkar and the Leader of the Green Party, Eamon Ryan, released a joint statement on 25 August, stating that while it is clear Hogan breached COVID-19 public health guidelines, they welcomed his apology. Facing increased pressure in both Brussels and Dublin, Phil Hogan resigned as Trade Commissioner on 26 August. On 9 November, correspondence between Mr Justice Frank Clarke and Mr Justice Woulfe were published in which the Chief Justice reprimanded Woulfe for his response to the scandal and stated that it was his opinion that Woulfe should resign in order to avoid continuing serious damage to the judiciary. The Government responded on 10 November by acknowledging the serious constitutional issues that have arisen as a result of this. The scandal was compared to the earlier Dominic Cummings scandal that occurred in the United Kingdom. Criminal prosecution In February 2021, it was announced by the Director of Public Prosecutions that four people would be criminally prosecuted for their role in organising the event. Amongst the four were Noel Grealish and Donie Cassidy. In May, Grealish was issued a summons for a court date of 22 July. The case was adjourned until 28 October. It was revealed on 28 October that the trial would get under way in early January 2022 and could take five days to be heard as there are over 50 witnesses. The four men (Grealish, Cassidy, along with James and John Sweeney, of the Station House Hotel in Clifden) went on trial on 6 January 2022, charged with breaching the COVID-19 regulations. District Court Judge Mary Fahy dismissed all the charges on 3 February. The Court concluded: “They were all responsible people who would not have gone to a dinner unless they felt comfortable and unless the organisers had not put in place all that was required to make it safe." Grealish said he was "delighted with the outcome". Donie Cassidy, described as being emotional when leaving the court, said he was always a lawmaker and never a law-breaker. See