Gilmartin: I told lawyers about cash demand

BUSINESSMAN Tom Gilmartin insisted yesterday he had previously told lawyers for the Mahon Tribunal a close associate of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern had demanded £500,000 for Mr Ahern’s support.

In his earlier testimony this week Mr Gilmartin said he had not mentioned the £500,000 in his original statement to the tribunal six years ago.

Reflecting on this evidence, Mr Gilmartin said he had been confused the previous day when asked whether he had previously told the tribunal about the £500,000 allegedly demanded in 1989 by Joe Burke, an associate of Mr Ahern for the then Minister for Labour’s support for the Quarryvale project.

Cork-based developer Owen O’Callaghan was the main figure behind the giant Liffey Valley shopping centre. Located on the western outskirts of Dublin, it was developed on the Quarryvale site in the 1990s.

Mr Gilmartin insisted he told lawyers about the demand for money during a private meeting, in Luton in 1998. Mr Burke — a former Fianna Fáil Dublin councillor — had asked for the money because Mr Ahern ‘‘was looking after’’ him, said Mr Gilmartin.

Pressed by tribunal lawyer Pat Quinn SC Mr Gilmartin said there was a record and evidence he had told the tribunal. He added he was not responsible for the notes taken down by others. Mr Quinn then undertook to carry out a search of the records.

The tribunal is investigating whether Mr Ahern received money from Mr O’Callaghan, who gained control over the project from Mr Gilmartin.

Mr Gilmartin said Mr O’Callaghan — a former business partner in the project — openly bragged he had lobbyist Frank Dunlop and former Fianna Fáil TD Liam Lawlor on his payroll.

Mr Dunlop has already given evidence of bribing a number of councillors to have the site rezoned for commercial development. The late Mr Lawlor had been engaged as a consultant.

Mr Gilmartin has alleged Mr O’Callaghan told him Mr Ahern was given £80,000 for ensuring a rival west Dublin development at Blanchardstown was not given tax designation.

He blamed AIB bank for backing Mr O’Callaghan against him when he was forced to hand over control of the site to the Cork developer. At the time, July 1989, he had not known Mr O’Callaghan had been a customer of the bank since 1977.

He recalled Mr Lawlor gate crashing a meeting at a Dublin airport hotel, declaring Mr Gilmartin was “f***ing going nowhere’’ with the Quarryvale project without Mr O’Callaghan.

Mr Gilmartin alleged Mr O’Callaghan had ‘‘set about hiring councillors’’ to ensure he did not get Quarryvale rezoned for planning in the way he wanted.

‘‘A few leading councillors were able to co-ordinate the rest.

“It was political and financially motivated obstruction, deliberately,’’ he added. ‘‘They were on the payroll of Owen O’Callaghan. Mr O’Callaghan used to tell me openly I would never get rezoned.’’

The tribunal yesterday agreed to allow Mr Gilmartin, because of his health, to give his daily evidence from morning until lunchtime and then hear parallel testimony from other witnesses each afternoon.

Jarlath Ryan BL, who made the request for Mr Gilmartin, said he was aged 72 and recently had undergone a quadruple bypass operation and the ongoing proceedings were taking a toll on his health. A change in the hours would allow him to rebut the allegations made against him and fully co-operate with the tribunal.