Former FG TD three years late with info

LIAM COSGRAVE only gave the Flood Tribunal full details of payments he received from Frank Dunlop during his political career earlier this week — more than three years after the information was first requested.

The former Fine Gael TD also said he found nothing strange that someone with such strong associations with Fianna Fáil should want to give him £2,000 (€2,540) towards an election campaign in 1992.

The tribunal heard yesterday that Mr Cosgrave only sent the inquiry's legal team dates of the alleged political donations from Mr Dunlop on Tuesday the day he was scheduled to make his first appearance at Dublin Castle as a witness.

Tribunal barrister John Gallagher SC said Mr Cosgrave didn't make any direct references to payments from Mr Dunlop in most of the regular correspondence between the parties since December 1999.

Mr Cosgrave argued that the matter had been covered by a letter written in 2000 in which he categorically denied ever receiving any payment in return for his votes on a planning issue.

Mr Cosgrave has now informed the tribunal he recalls getting four donations totalling £6,000 (€7,618) from the political lobbyist during the 1990s. They were £2,000 (€2,540) for the 1992 general election; £1,000 (€1,270) for the 1993 Seanad election; £2,500 (€3,174) for the 1997 general election and £500 (€635) for the 1999 local election.

In particular, Mr Cosgrave recalled getting money from the political lobbyist in early 1993 which Mr Dunlop told him was a "legitimate political donation."

Asked why anyone would emphasise a donation was "legitimate," Mr Cosgrave replied: "because it was legitimate."