Dunlop to continue tribunal testimony next week

FORMER political lobbyist Frank Dunlop, who has admitted bribing Dublin county councillors, is due to give further evidence to the Mahon tribunal investigating planning corruption early next week.

Mr Dunlop named 14 councillors who he alleges received corrupt payments in the early 1990s in connection with the rezoning of the controversial Quarryvale development in west Dublin.

The councillors have denied Mr Dunlop’s allegations. Some of them, however, admit receiving payments from Mr Dunlop but insist they were legitimate political donations.

Earlier this week when the Quarryvale 11 module began, tribunal counsel Patricia Dillon SC revealed the PR consultant had spent a total of IR£232,000 from his “war chest” of secret bank accounts on bribing politicians.

Yesterday tribunal barrister Annette Egan BL told how more than 16,800 representations were made when the Co Dublin draft plan went on public display in 1991. Some 10,000 were in favour of the Quarryvale project and 6,000 against it.

The Quarryvale development attracted more than half the objections in submissions on the draft plan for the entire county.

Mr Dunlop was hired by Cork-based developer Owen O’Callaghan, who got involved in developing Quarryvale after the original owner, British-based Tom Gilmartin, ran into serious financial difficulties.

Quarryvale got the planning green light in 1993 and An Bord Pleanála confirmed it in September 1994.

Mr O’Callaghan has consistently denied knowledge that Mr Dunlop was bribing politicians.