Dunlop denies giving £20,000 donation to a ‘single, senior politician’
Tribunal lawyer Patricia Dillon SC recalled that Mr Dunlop borrowed the money on February 4, 1992 — exactly one week before the late Charles J Haughey stepped down as Taoiseach and was replaced by Albert Reynolds.
“If you are asking me did I give the money to a senior politician, the answer is no,” said Mr Dunlop.
The tribunal heard Mr Dunlop repaid the loan two months later, in April 1992, but could not explain the source of the monies used to pay it back.
When he borrowed the money — at nearly 16% interest — Mr Dunlop had access to funds of more than £75,000 in what Ms Dillon called “unknown bank accounts that weren’t amenable to any scrutiny or inquiry”.
Pressed to explain what he did with the money, Mr Dunlop said he could not and still did not know what the money was for.
Since he became the tribunal’s chief whistle-blower into planning corruption, Mr Dunlop has alleged he made improper payments amounting to tens of thousands of pounds in the 1990s to a significant number of Dublin county councillors to back land rezoning.
Ms Dillon put it to Mr Dunlop he either knew full well why he borrowed the £20,000 or was deliberately concealing what he had done with the money.
Ms Dillon said Mr Dunlop could remember 100 instances of bribes paid to nine politicians in 1992 and 1993 involving sums as little as £500.
Mr Dunlop said the £20,000 was borrowed at the time of the Dublin development plan and it was possible that some of it went on disbursements to politicians.
But he categorically denied that he was concealing a single payment to a senior politician.
“What I exactly did with it I am unable to say.”
Asked if he was lying, Mr Dunlop replied: “Why would I? The tribunal will make up its own mind.”
Earlier, Mr Dunlop insisted the information that developer Tom Gilmartin was in difficulties with British Revenue came from Mr Gilmartin’s former business partner, Cork-based Owen O’Callaghan.
In a statement to the tribunal last April and in sworn testimony in 2004, Mr O’Callaghan said he had no involvement in or knowledge of Mr Gilmartin being petitioned for bankruptcy.
Mr Dunlop said: “Anything I ever knew about Mr Gilmartin came from Mr O’Callaghan.”
