Dunlop had ‘war chest’ of €470k when developer paid fees

PROPERTY developer Owen O’Callaghan paid Frank Dunlop’s legal fees of £364,000 when the lobbyist — who had a secret “war chest” in the region of £470,000 — said he wouldn’t be able to meet continuing bills, the Mahon Tribunal heard yesterday.

“I probably said I don’t have that kind of money,” Mr Dunlop recalled telling Mr O’Callaghan in November 1998 after the Quarryvale controversy became public amid sweeping bribery allegations by businessman Tom Gilmartin against his former business partner in the west Dublin project.

The Cork-based businessman reportedly said, “I will look after that”, when Mr Dunlop raised the issue of his legal costs arising from the tribunal’s probe. Both men had also discussed how they would deal with the tribunal’s orders for discovery of documents connected to them.