A former Independent county councillor has denied taking money from lobbyist Mr Frank Dunlop in return for his vote on rezoning motions.
Mr John O'Halloran acknowledges receiving a number of payments from Mr Dunlop, including £2,500 in 1996, but says these were political contributions.
Mr O'Halloran conceded that he had "forgotten" about three of the payments, including one in 1999, but denied they had any connection to rezoning votes.
Records show that Mr Dunlop gave the councillor cheques for £250 in 1992, £2,500 in 1996 and £500 in 1999. In addition, Mr O'Halloran acknowledges he got £500 in cash from the lobbyist sometime between 1991 and 1993.
However, he denies Mr Dunlop's claim that he paid the councillor a total of £5,000 in small amounts in the 1990s. It was "most unlikely" that he would have forgotten other amounts.
Judge Alan Mahon said the witness, by saying that Mr Dunlop was giving out his own money, was painting a picture of the lobbyist as "a Santa Claus giving you money from his own pocket and not from his clients".
Judge Mahon said Mr Dunlop wasn't seen as a supporter of Labour or Independents. Yet here he was giving the witness money "out of the goodness of his heart". Mr O'Halloran said he believed the money came from Mr Dunlop himself. He never felt compromised by taking it.
A baker and union official, Mr O'Halloran was elected to the council for Labour in Lucan in 1991. However, his membership of the party was terminated two years later on foot of a complaint that he was acting contrary to the interests of the party. He continued to sit on the council as an Independent. Asked about the £2,500 contribution, the witness said it was paid when he was standing as an Independent candidate in the Dublin West by-election. He had solicited the money from Mr Dunlop.
Asked why he had selected Mr Dunlop to ask for money, he said he couldn't give a reason. He denied he had been "extremely helpful" on a number of developments, as Mr Dunlop had claimed.
Asked about a number of diary entries by Mr Dunlop indicating meetings with the politician, Mr O'Halloran said he couldn't recall any particular meetings. He didn't have that many meetings with Mr Dunlop and those he did have were solely concerned with the development at Quarryvale.
