Burke given ‘secret’ garda file

FORMER minister Ray Burke was handed a confidential garda file on allegations of his involvement in planning corruption by his former Cabinet colleague, Seán Doherty, it has emerged.

Details of the controversial exchange of classified documents are contained in the political memoirs of the former Government press secretary, Frank Dunlop, published today.

The book, Yes, Taoiseach, outlines how Dunlop was asked in 1982 by the then Justice Minister, Seán Doherty, to copy the content of the garda file for Burke. Dunlop claims he was instructed to make a copy of the document but not to read the material himself.

However, the former government press secretary said he ignored the instructions and observed that it was a departmental file which contained a copy of the gardaí’s enquiry into Burke over allegations that he was involved in planning corruption while serving as a member of Dublin County Council in the early 1970s.

“It was the only occasion on which I was ever asked to perform such a task. At the time I was quite concerned about it but subsequently decided it was something best forgotten,” he recalls.

Dunlop has been the Planning Tribunal’s main witness since he sensationally revealed details of payments to councillors in return for their vote at a hearing in Dublin Castle four years ago.

Dunlop is due to reappear as a witness in the next module of the tribunal’s hearings which will resume its investigations into allegations of bribery over rezoning of lands at Carrickmines which are linked to solicitor John Caldwell and secretive businessman Jim Kennedy.

It is believed the 56-year-old political lobbyist signed on for the book deal to boost his income following the collapse of his high-profile PR consultancy business when his self-confessed role in corruption became public knowledge.

Publication of Yes, Taoiseach, is considered to be one of the best-kept secrets of Irish publishing in recent years with few people aware that Dunlop was writing his memoirs.

Its publishers, Penguin Ireland, first approached Dunlop with the idea for the book around 16 months ago.

It is understood Dunlop has already begun work on the follow-up which will detail his years of activating as a political lobbyist.

However, he has studiously avoided reference to any material that could come up for scrutiny in evidence at the tribunal.