Cork county manager Maurice Moloney yesterday confirmed he expects an internal council inquiry into a controversial land sale at Charleville in north Cork to be concluded by the end of January.
The inquiry team under head of personnel John Walsh carried out the investigation after concerns were raised last May about the council's decision to buy 20 acres of land at Deerpark in Charleville for €11.6 million.
The council signed a contract with the vendors, Permanent TSB bank executives Brian Cremin and Denis O'Reilly, but the previous owner, Pushkin Developments, claimed it had offered it to the council in November 2005 for €8 million.
It was also suggested that the land had been available a year earlier for €4 million but Mr Moloney has confirmed to The Irish Times that the council is satisfied now that the land was never offered to the council for either €4 million or €8 million.
"It was suggested the land was first offered for €4 million and, later in the summer of 2005, it was offered for €8 million but we checked with the auctioneer who was supposed to have made the offer and no offer was made to the council and no offer was rejected by the council."
Mr Moloney also confirmed that, following the conclusion of a settlement reached in the High Court after the bankers had taken legal action to compel the council to complete the sale, the council has now paid Mr Cremin and Mr O'Reilly €9.75 million for the 20 acres.
Mr Moloney said the figure of €9.75 million was reached after two independent valuations carried out for the council.
Mr Moloney refused to be drawn on the inquiry being carried out by Mr Walsh while he also repeated his refusal, on foot of legal advice, either to confirm or deny reports that a member of council staff had been suspended pending the completion of the inquiry.
However, The Irish Times has learned that the inquiry is focusing on how the council staff were not aware when offered the Deerpark lands for €11.6 million in October 2005 that the lands had changed hands just three months earlier for €8 million.
