Dunne and Haughey to give evidence to Mahon
It emerged recently that Mr Haughey’s son, Ciaran, had an interest in the Cargobridge consortium which acquired 24 acres at Cloghran in north Co Dublin in 1991.
Mr Dunne previously testified before the McCracken and Moriarty tribunals on his payments to Charles Haughey. He will give evidence to the Mahon Tribunal on October 3.
Due to give evidence on that date also are Mr Haughey, his Celtic Helicopters business partner John Barnicle and developer Noel Smyth, formerly Mr Dunne’s solicitor.
Former political lobbyist Frank Dunlop said he discovered Ciaran Haughey’s beneficial interest in the Cargobridge consortium during Ryder Cup practice last Tuesday when his solicitor informed him “on the 14th green of the K Club”.
Celtic Helicopters’ hangar adjoined the Cargobridge lands at Cloghran, in north Co Dublin. Unlike Celtic Helicopters, Cargobridge did not have a right of way and Aer Rianta was implacably opposed to the consortium being granted access over Department of Transport lands.
At the time, Finance Minister Brian Cowen was Minister for Transport with responsibility for Aer Rianta and Aer Lingus.
Mr Dunlop said his involvement with Cargobridge related to the rezoning of its land. He was not involved in the right-of-way issue until Dublin County Council confirmed the rezoning on September 30, 1993.
He said he saw nothing wrong or untoward in lobbying Mr Cowen for a right-of-way for Cargobridge. “I have lobbied everybody — from the Taoisigh of this country down to the lowliest councillors,” he told tribunal lawyer Pat Quinn SC yesterday.
