The ‘canary’ whose dramatic revelations were music to tribunal’s ears

LITTLE wonder that Frank Dunlop, the man who has admitted paying a host of councillors cash for re-zoning votes, has been dubbed ‘the canary’ by many attending the Flood Tribunal.

Ever since he cracked under the Flood Tribunal’s spotlight two years ago, the former lobbyist’s disclosures have been music to the ears of those plumbing the murky depths of planning decisions in the Dublin area.

Yesterday’s session of the Flood Tribunal threw up the names of a number of politicians to whom Mr Dunlop claims he paid money. They have applied for legal representation for the next phase of the inquiry and are expected to maintain that the payments, if any, were normal political donations and did not influence their votes.