Developer denies concealing donations as consultancy fees

A PROPERTY developer has rejected any suggestion that his company tried to conceal political donations to Liam Lawlor by describing payments to the late TD as consultancy fees.

John Corcoran, former managing director of Green Property, told the Mahon Tribunal yesterday that two payments totalling almost £24,000 to Mr Lawlor were linked to his role as an adviser on planning matters.

The controversial politician had informed the tribunal before his death in a car crash in Moscow in October 2005 that he had got a total of around £35,000 in political donations from Green Property during his political career.

Although Green was behind plans to develop a town centre in Blanchardstown in the late 1980s, Mr Corcoran stressed that the payments to the former Fianna Fáil TD were not linked to the company’s campaign to get tax designation for its planned shopping centre in the west Dublin suburb.

The tribunal is investigating the background to these payments as part of its inquiry into the controversial planning history of the Quarryvale shopping centre (now known as Liffey Valley) near Lucan in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Mr Corcoran told yesterday’s hearing at Dublin Castle that Green was very concerned about the Quarryvale development because it could place a serious question over the viability of its own plans for a similar project in Blanchardstown, which was only a short distance away.

The retired developer said he found Mr Lawlor helpful and knowledgeable about the planning process.

The late TD, who offered his services to Green, provided advice on roads, drainage and utilities, according to Mr Corcoran.

“He was very valuable,” he told the tribunal.

Mr Corcoran said he had no recollection of ever giving a political donation to Mr Lawlor, although he acknowledged that Green had once picked up a printing bill for the TD.

“Mr Lawlor was not my favourite man, I can tell you,” said Mr Corcoran. “I was tough with him. I was no pushover as far as he was concerned.”

He recalled that Mr Lawlor would arrive in a chauffeur-driven car at his company’s office and say he wanted “a few bob” before producing invoices that contained few details.

The developer said he had no problem in agreeing to make a cheque for £13,953 in November 1988 payable to a company owned by Mr Lawlor.

“It was good value for money,” the witness remarked.

Another cheque for £10,000 was paid to another of Mr Lawlor’s companies in February 1991.

“I was happy with what I was getting,” said Mr Corcoran. However, he described Mr Lawlor as “a very avaricious man”.

He added: “All he wanted was to get as much money as he could, as quickly as he could, wherever he could.”

The relationship between the two men ended in 1991 after Mr Corcoran discovered that he had been “misled” by the politician who had concealed his involvement in advancing the Quarryvale project with rival developer Owen O’Callaghan.