Architect says he never paid councillors for land rezoning

By Seán McCárthaigh

Brian O'Halloran told the Flood Tribunal yesterday that he was unaware how Mr Dunlop had spent money he had given him to act on behalf of himself and other landowners.

The tribunal also heard that tax exile Jim Kennedy was regarded by one of Mr O'Halloran's business partners as a hustler Mr O'Halloran, together with businessmen, Austin Darragh and Gerard Kilcoyne, engaged Mr Dunlop on a number of occasions during the 1990s to lobby councillors.

In 1978, the three men bought around 22 acres of land at Carrickmines in south Dublin for around £130,000, which they finally got rezoned 20 years later after a number of earlier failed attempts.

The land is adjacent to a larger site owned by Jackson Way Properties an offshore company that is the focus of the tribunal's current investigation Mr Dunlop has already told the tribunal he paid bribes totalling £25,000 to a number of councillors over the past decade on behalf of the owners of Jackson Way who include Mr Kennedy and solicitor, John Caldwell.

Mr Dunlop claims Mr O'Halloran and his partners were never aware of how he spent money they had given him. He admitted paying one councillor £2,000 but said he merely advised the three landowners to buy Christmas presents and give political donations to councillors.

Mr O'Halloran also recalled having about 11 meetings with Mr Kennedy between November 1988 and February 1993 to discuss a joint proposal to rezone their lands.