Monarch blames lobbyist of ‘making up’ bribes

FORMER Monarch property company executive Richard Lynn will deny in testimony he knew lobbyist Frank Dunlop bribed councillors for their votes, the Mahon planning tribunal was told yesterday.

Monarch lawyer Mark Sanfey SC accused Mr Dunlop of “making up” his evidence as he continued to testify at the tribunal’s probe into allegations that councillors were bribed to swing planning decisions.

Mr Dunlop was being closely quizzed when the cross-examining lawyer accused him of invention in relation to three comments allegedly made by Mr Lynn, a major driver of a Monarch south Dublin project in the early 1990s.

According to Mr Dunlop, Mr Lynn told him considering how much the company was paying the politicians on Dublin Co Council “you’d think those idiots would get their act together”.

Mr Lynn allegedly said — in a reference to the politicians being paid — some people were getting “too greedy” and the company couldn’t keep paying them. A third time, Mr Dunlop claimed yesterday, Mr Lynn said to him the politicians were costing too much.

In May 2000, Mr Dunlop — a former FF press secretary — sensationally admitted to the inquiry bribing councillors to vote on key planning decisions intended to benefit developer clients.

The tribunal is investigating the rezoning of 236 acres of Monarch lands at Cherrywood in south Dublin during the 1990s.

Monarch made payments totalling over £500,000 in that connection; a substantial amount of the money was paid out in political donations the company listed as expense costs.

According to tribunal investigations, Monarch paid Mr Dunlop £85,000 for his services as lobbyist.

Mr Dunlop — who admitted he underestimated to the tribunal the amount Monarch paid him — has alleged he paid £2,000 each to FF councillors Tony Fox and Colm McGrath to support the rezoning of Monarch lands. The two men deny this claim.

Yesterday, Mr Dunlop agreed with lawyer Gerard Humphreys, he gave contradictory evidence relating to Mr Lydon and Mr Lynn during a meeting in Dublin Co Council in May 1993.

During cross-examination, Mr Dunlop admitted he could not say he knew Monarch had paid political donations to councillors. Mr Dunlop said he had no evidence Mr Lynn had given money to councillors.