Concealing Haughey name in project a ‘coincidence’

A DUBLIN businessman said yesterday it was “coincidence” that he and two associates failed to tell the Mahon Planning Tribunal about Ciaran Haughey’s involvement in their airfreight warehousing project.

However, Stephen Fitzgerald admitted they concealed Mr Haughey’s name from documents because “we felt it would bring no value if it was known Mr Haughey was involved in our project”.

The planning tribunal is investigating the rezoning of a 24-acre landlocked site near Dublin Airport in 1993 and former Transport Minister Brian Cowen’s decision in principle to grant commercial road access across department lands for the venture.