Wright rejects claims of a cover-up
Mr Wright said he had asked Mr Dunlop to meet him at the Merrion Hotel in Dublin, in May 2000 solely to be able to provide accurate information to an internal Fianna Fáil inquiry about payments to politicians.
However, his evidence contrasts sharply with the testimony of Mr Dunlop, who claims Mr Wright tried to involve him in a conspiracy to conceal the true purpose of the payments from the Tribunal.
Both men agreed that Mr Dunlop paid the Fianna Fáil TD £2,000 in 1991, £5,000 in 1992 and £3,000 in 1993.
Mr Wright told the inquiry yesterday that Mr Dunlop had confirmed these payments to him at the meeting in the Merrion Hotel.
Although Mr Wright stressed he had not discussed anything about the inquiry with the lobbyist, tribunal barrister Patricia Dillon SC said the meeting had to be viewed against the background that it had taken place just after Mr Dunlop had given evidence to the tribunal about paying councillors for their support on rezoning issues.
Mr Dillon also expressed surprise that Mr Wright had not been able to provide complete information about payments he received from Mr Dunlop to the tribunal until last month.
“I can’t understand,” Mr Wright said repeatedly. He suggested he was reluctant to provide the Tribunal’s legal team with any details until he was certain of their accuracy.
Mr Wright conceded he had only informed the tribunal last month that he had lodged the £3,000 payment to an ICS account, even though he was aware of this fact for the previous two years.
He was also forced to admit he had not originally disclosed the existence of a separate Irish Permanent account which he also used for lodging political donations.
The TD was criticised for his failure to note in a statement that he had arranged for a submission to be lodged with Dublin County Council in 1991 to have lands owned by Denis Mahony and Noel Fox in Baldoyle rezoned.
Tribunal chairman Judge Alan Mahon said it appeared Mr Wright was “silent” about his involvement in the issue. However, Mr Wright said there was nothing inappropriate about a councillor making submissions on behalf of a landowner as “it happened every day”.
The tribunal is currently investigation allegations that Mr Wright was one of four Fianna Fáil councillors bribed by Mr Dunlop to support the rezoning of the Mahony/Fox lands.
Instead, Mr Wright said Mr Dunlop had given him a £2,000 donation wrapped in a newspaper in the Dáil bar in 1991.
Asked why a legitimate payment would be made in such a “cloak and dagger” fashion, Mr Wright replied: “That is the way he handed it over to me.”
