Arlington director: Payments to Lawlor were consultant fees

The managing director of Arlington Properties has told the Mahon Tribunal that payments the company made to former Fianna Fáil TD Liam Lawlor were consultancy fees and not political donations.

Mr Lawlor has claimed the payments were political donations, but Raymond Mould said today that Arlington was not in the business of making political donations and had never given one to an Irish politician.

Mr Mould said Arlington had hired Mr Lawlor as a consultant on the failed Bachelor’s Walk project in Dublin, paying him £3,500-per month in fees and a one-off payment of £33,000.

Mr Mould told the tribunal that Mr Lawlor turned up uninvited at an Arlington meeting in London in the late 1980s seeking to be hired as a consultant on the Bachelor’s Walk scheme.

He said the former Fianna Fáil TD promised to help the company navigate the corridors of power in Ireland and the directors felt they had nothing to lose by bringing him on board.

This backs up previous evidence given to the tribunal by one of Mr Mould’s business partners. P

Property developer Tom Gilmartin has also told the tribunal that Arlington hired Mr Lawlor against his wishes.