Energy officials to be quizzed over Glen Ding sale

THE Moriarty Tribunal yesterday gave details of its latest probe into possible links between former Taoiseach Charles J Haughey and the private sale of State lands in Wicklow to the Roadstone company.

Mr Haughey’s financial adviser, the late Des Traynor — a Roadstone director — was its chairman when the Glen Ding lands sale went through in December 1990.

The price paid was £1.25 million (€1.58m), but after 15 years of planning controversy, Roadstone has not been able to utilise any of the sand and gravel deposits it paid for.

In the latest instalment of the row, An Bord Pleanála this year overturned an earlier approval that would have allowed the company to extract the minerals.

In May 1994, Mr Traynor died suddenly, having managed Mr Haughey’s financial affairs since the former Fianna Fáil leader entered politics in the 1960s.

Eight years previously, Mr Traynor had ceased to be chairman of Guinness & Mahon merchant bank, where he had been running a secret Ansbacher offshore bank. But he continued to operate the hidden banking service for Mr Haughey’s benefit from the Cement Roadstone Holdings (CRH) offices.

Mr Traynor was CRH chairman around the time the Government decided to sell surplus State assets to help reduce the national debt. As part of this plan, Department of Energy officials decided to offload the lands at Blessington — about 145 acres comprising some woods and valuable sand and gravel deposits.

Over the coming weeks, Department of Energy officials will be asked to explain why they focused on Roadstone as prospective buyer when a number of other parties appeared to show interest in bidding.

Documents show officials recommended to Energy Minister Bobby Molloy that Roadstone be selected and set out strong reasons to support their case.

Roadstone rival, Brendan Johnston of Johnston Enterprises, complained directly to Mr Molloy the “wool was being pulled over his eyes” in the way officials were treating him.

On the day Mr Johnston was given permission to inspect Glen Ding — December 5, 1990 — officials had agreed in principal to negotiate the sale with Roadstone.

Mr Johnston became concerned his efforts were not being taken seriously, and at a later stage threatened to take legal action.

Tribunal lawyer, Jerry Healy SC, said the pivotal decisions appeared to have begun with Mr Molloy’s approval of the proposal to confine the negotiations to Roadstone — and to deviate from the private and parliamentary commitments to proceed by public tender.

Mr Molloy, who is due to give evidence in the coming weeks, is expected to tell the tribunal he had no knowledge of Mr Haughey’s involvement in the Glen Ding transaction.

The retired Progressive Democrats TD has indicated to the tribunal he was not approached by Mr Haughey or anybody else on his behalf in relation to the sale; also, that he has no recollection of ever being approached, directly or indirectly, by CRH or any of its subsidiary companies.

Mr Healy said the tribunal continues to conduct private investigations in relation to aspects of the transaction, and has received submissions and representations from a number of individuals concerning the handling of the transaction and the benefits deemed to have accrued.