The legal team representing Jamie Bryson has been provided statements from DUP MLAs prompting a call to review a prosecution against him, a court has heard.
Bryson appeared at Belfast Crown Court where he was arraigned on a charge of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.
The 33-year old loyalist activist from Rosepark in Donaghadee was charged that on dates between September 1 and 24, 2015, "he conspired together to commit an offence of misconduct in a public office in respect of a public office holder, namely Daithi McKay, who without reasonable excuse or justification wilfully misconducted himself to such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the public's trust, by the manipulation of the presentation of evidence before the Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Finance and Personnel".
When the single charge was put to Bryson, he replied "not guilty".
The charge is linked to events relating to the workings of the Assembly's Committee for Finance and Personnel.
The committee conducted a review of the sale of the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) property loan portfolio in Northern Ireland and in September 2015 Bryson gave evidence to the committee.
Former Sinn Fein MLA Daithi McKay was chairman of the committee at the time and the Co Tyrone man appeared at Belfast Crown Court last month where he denied two offences.
The 41 year-old, from Loughan Road in Dunnamanagh, denied conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office between September 1 and September 24, 2015.
A third defendant - Thomas Gerard O'Hara (39) from Lisnahunshin Road in Cullybackey - attended court the same day as co-accused McKay and denied a charge of conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office.
After Bryson was arraigned and entered a not guilty plea, his barrister Joseph O'Keeffe addressed Judge Donna McColgan KC.
Mr O'Keeffe said: "There is further material that we have received. It's from DUP MLAs and it's new evidence, in essence.
"We will be forwarding that to the prosecution and asking for a review of a decision to prosecute in this matter, based on that material."
Judge McColgan said she would review the cases against all three defendants on January 9 2024 ahead of the non-jury trial, which is scheduled to be held next June.