Lowry accused of bid to get extra rent for Dunne

MICHAEL LOWRY asked the son of former Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald to intervene on behalf of Ben Dunne in rent negotiations on a building in Dublin’s north inner city, the Moriarty Tribunal heard yesterday.

Mark FitzGerald said Mr Lowry attempted to influence a rent review that would have netted Mr Dunne an extra £450,000 a year.

He said the then Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications told him Mr Dunne wanted the rent on Marlborough House doubled from £5 per square foot to £10. The 90,000 square foot building was rented by Telecom Éireann, the semi-State company Mr Lowry was ultimately responsible for.

Mr FitzGerald was an employee of property agents and valuers Sherry Fitzgerald, the firm employed to carry out the rent review.

He claimed that when he refused to refer Mr Lowry’s request on to a colleague tasked with carrying out the review, Mr Lowry reminded the Fine Gael trustee that Mr Dunne had contributed £170,000 to the party.

The ex-minister, while admitting raising the rent review issue with Mr FitzGerald, denies he was trying to influence the amount it would be increased by. The rent on the building off O’Connell Street was increased to £6 per square foot.

Mr FitzGerald said Mr Lowry phoned him in March or early April 1995 and asked whether a man called Gill, who worked in Sherry Fitzgerald, was involved in the rent review of a property off O’Connell Street. “I told them Gordon Gill was a member of our firm. Mr Lowry said he would be in touch.”

Mr FitzGerald telephoned Mr Gill and told him about the call. Mr Gill said the property was Marlborough House, also known as Telephone House, and that he was involved in arbitration in relation to a rent review. The pair agreed it was inappropriate to discuss it further.

Some time later Mr Lowry asked Mr FitzGerald to meet at a hotel close to Leinster House. At the meeting, according to Mr FitzGerald, Mr Lowry said Marlborough House had recently been let by Ben Dunne and he wanted to get the rent up from £5 to £10 a square foot.

Mr FitzGerald said he told Mr Lowry not to pursue the matter.

Mr FitzGerald recalls a number of other meetings with Mr Lowry, including one in connection with the appointment of Michael McDonnell, now deceased, to the chief executive’s position at CIE. But Mr Lowry denies using any influence.