£20,000 ‘PR’ cheque was for political donation
Tribunal lawyer Des O’Neill suggested it could not have been a proper payment in any circumstances if he was paying a cheque for services that were not provided for him.
Mr Hickey, managing director of Davy Hickey Properties (DHP) since July 1990, insisted there was no intention to disguise the political payments.
Lobbyist Frank Dunlop had come to him around the 1991 local election saying it would be appropriate to make political donations. In Mr Hickey’s company books the cheque was classified as public relations expenses under the heading of payments to Mr Dunlop.
When Mr Dunlop sold an option he held to develop the former Baldoyle Racecourse — now being probed by the tribunal — he received £1 million in April 1994. Efforts to rezone the lands, owned by developer John Byrne, had failed the previous year.
Mr O’Neill noted a £500 payment to a well-known councillor for the 1991 local elections was recorded in Mr Hickey’s company records as a payment relating to the local election — unlike the recording of the details of the cheque sent to Mr Dunlop.
All the payments made to Mr Dunlop — whether for expenses or political donations — were grouped together.
Said Mr O’Neill: Is it not perfectly explicit what the payment was for?”
Mr Hickey said the payment to Mr Dunlop had been “mis-described.”
Tribunal chairman Judge Alan Mahon asked Mr Hickey if he had bought a car and it was described as an airplane would he not have queried this.
The Shefran Ltd company used by Mr Dunlop to receive the cheque did not have a bank account, had never traded and was not registered for VAT.
Mr Hickey said he would not be dealing with such a company if he knew Mr Dunlop was carrying out his affairs like that. But he had no reason to believe he was doing so.
The tribunal adjourned until next Tuesday.
