Gilmartin and Lawlor round on each other

LIAM Lawlor and retired property developer Tom Gilmartin have accused each other of wanting to “line their own pockets” through their involvement in property developments in Dublin in the late 1980s.

During a day marked by frequent, angry exchanges at the Planning Tribunal, the former Fianna Fáil TD made a series of counter-allegations to Mr Gilmartin’s claims he had demanded a large shareholding and money in relation to projects at Bachelor’s Walk and Quarryvale.

At the end of one heated debate, Mr Lawlor described the Sligo-born developer as “the biggest hustler and fraudster that ever came into the country”.

Mr Gilmartin retorted: “Don’t tag me with your thing.” However, Mr Lawlor expressed concern about the businessman’s ability to develop a shopping centre when there were doubts over whether he had been able to raise money to buy a private home in Bray, Co Wicklow, around the same time.

The tense atmosphere began at the start of the hearing when Mr Gilmartin accused the former TD of twice barging into a private meeting to try and get in on a property deal.

The tribunal had previously heard Mr Lawlor had arrived unannounced and uninvited at a meeting in London attended by Mr Gilmartin to discuss a development at Bachelor’s Walk.

The witness said Mr Lawlor had acted in a similar fashion a few months later in November 1989 when he barged into another meeting at a hotel near Dublin Airport.

Mr Gilmartin claimed the politician informed him he would have to deal with another property developer Owen O’Callaghan if he wanted to get any development off the ground in west Dublin.

“It was you, Mr Lawlor, who Mr O’Callaghan sent to me to hold me to ransom,” said Mr Gilmartin.

Asked if he had corroboration, Mr Gilmartin said his Belfast architects were also at the meeting, though they were reluctant to give evidence to the tribunal.

Mr Lawlor, who denies such an incident ever took place, remarked it sounded like “one of the mythical meetings you had with many people including half the Cabinet”.

In his second day of cross- examining Mr Gilmartin, the former TD said if he had a priority in his political life, it was “to see something built in north Clondalkin”.

“Your only purpose was to line your own pocket in getting a development in any area,” replied Mr Gilmartin. Mr Lawlor said he had pleaded “in unparliamentary language” with the developer and Mr O’Callaghan to get together to build a shopping centre in the constituency which had the stigma of being the only place in Ireland that was the subject of a task force on urban crime.

“I don’t accept that. I introduced hope to the area,” said Mr Gilmartin.

“You can’t eat hope,” was Mr Lawlor’s immediate response. He pointed out that the developer had not succeeded in putting “a brick on a brick” in west Dublin.

“You and a number of people tried to cash in on the thing and when you didn’t get your way, you tried to make sure I didn’t get it off the ground,” the witness riposted.

Mr Gilmartin admitted he eventually lost money on the project because Mr Lawlor and former council official George Redmond had ensured “some sucker like (him)” didn’t get to build the shopping centre.