A GARDA investigation into planning corruption in Dublin county council in 1993 was only a cause of concern for Quarryvale developers because they thought it might delay the county development plan, the Mahon tribunal was told yesterday.
John Deane, a business partner with Cork developer Owen O'Callaghan in Riga Ltd, which had a 40 per cent share in Quarryvale, said he had no indication at the time that any money had been paid to councillors in exchange for their support of the development.
Lobbyist Frank Dunlop had said he paid 14 councillors to support Quarryvale, now the Liffey Valley shopping centre, after he was employed by Mr O'Callaghan to lobby for the development.
Counsel for the tribunal, Pat Quinn SC, said former Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte, who was then chairman of the council, wrote to councillors in July 1993 and asked them to co-operate with the Garda inquiry. The investigation was instigated by the then minister for the environment Michael Smith following concerns about planning corruption and a series of articles in The Irish Times, the tribunal had heard.
Mr Deane said he discussed the Garda inquiry with Mr O'Callaghan and they were concerned that it might delay the finalising of the development plan, which in turn would delay the Quarryvale development.
Mr Quinn asked him if he was not concerned that money may have been paid to rezone Quarryvale. "I had no indication whatsoever at that time that any money was paid for any illicit purpose," he replied.
Mr Quinn said Mr O'Callaghan had been asked for £250,000 by the late Tom Hand, who was a Fine Gael councillor. Moreover developer Tom Gilmartin had also complained that a councillor had asked him for money.
Mr Deane said he believed Mr O'Callaghan had not taken Mr Hand seriously, and when Mr Gilmartin had been asked to sign a Garda statement about his allegation, he refused.
Mr Quinn asked him if he was concerned that the Garda inquiry might ask about money his company had given to three FF councillors: Seán Gilbride, Colm McGrath and the late Liam Lawlor.
"I had no concern whatsoever, because as far as I was concerned they were perfectly legitimate payments," Mr Deane said.
He acknowledged that the Garda investigation had come up in a discussion with the Quarryvale project's bankers, AIB. But he could not remember who had raised it in the bank and said it was only a general discussion.
Mr Quinn asked if Mr Deane was aware that Mr Gilmartin had called him and Mr O'Callaghan "a pair of gangsters".
" . . . he resented us being involved there and nothing he would say about us would surprise me," Mr Deane said.
