The property developer Mr Tom Gilmartin accused the Minister for Transport, Mr Séamus Brennan, of lying about an alleged meeting with him in Leinster House in February 1989, writes Paul Cullen.
In evidence at the Mahon tribunal yesterday he also said that the former minister, Mr Padraig Flynn, was lying about the meeting.
The tribunal heard graphic evidence from Mr Gilmartin about a £5 million extortion demand he says he was subjected to immediately after the meeting in the Fianna Fáil offices in Leinster House.
Afterwards, Mr Gilmartin told the tribunal, he didn't know who to trust and who not to trust. "I came to the conclusion that the place was totally corrupt and I had good reason for it."
Describing the circumstances that led to the alleged meeting, he said Mr Liam Lawlor rang him in late January 1989 to say "the Boss" wanted to meet him.
They arranged to meet in Buswells Hotel at 4.30 p.m. on February 1st, with the meeting with ministers scheduled to take place an hour later.
Mr Lawlor allegedly arrived more than 20 minutes late and beckoned him to cross over to Leinster House, Mr Gilmartin said.
He then described in detail the route he claims the two men took to reach the room in which the alleged meeting took place: through the doors of Leinster House; turning right down a corridor for 50 yards; taking a lift to an upper floor, when they met Mr Burke; turning right along a "gangway" for 20 yards; and turning left into a lobby.
He then passed through a dark oak double door while Mr Lawlor stayed outside, he told the tribunal.
A number of ministers were in the room, sitting around a conference room. They included Mr Bertie Ahern, Mr Albert Reynolds, Mr Brian Lenihan and Mr Séamus Brennan and a "stoutish, balding" man he didn't know but believed to be Mr Gerry Collins.
Ms Mary O'Rourke entered the room at one point, and Mr Flynn introduced her to the developer. She nodded and paused for a while before leaving the room again.
Mr Burke then entered, followed by Mr Haughey, Mr Gilmartin said.
Mr Haughey said: "I know you. You're from Lislary [in Co Sligo\]". Mr Gilmartin explained that he had never had the pleasure of meeting Mr Haughey. He had been out of the country for 40 years.
He chatted with the then Taoiseach about the two schemes he was developing. Mr Haughey said Ireland needed the jobs they would create and to "keep up the good work".
Mr Gilmartin said he had met Seán Haughey, and Mr Haughey took this to mean his son. The developer said yesterday he was in fact referring to Mr Haughey's brother, also Seán.
However, Mr Haughey told him his son was either lord mayor, or about to become lord mayor [which happened in July 1989\] and that he should visit the Mansion House some time.
Mr Haughey then asked if Mr Lawlor was "taking good care" of him.
(At this point, there was laughter in the public gallery, and the chairman, Judge Alan Mahon, told the public not to laugh.)
Mr John Gallagher SC, for the tribunal, asked if it had not occurred to the witness to tell the ministers that Mr Lawlor and others had been demanding money from him.
"Not in that company," Mr Gilmartin replied. "It would have been too embarrassing to bring anything like that up."
After the discussion with Mr Haughey, Mr Gilmartin said, he left the room. As he came out to a lobby, Mr Lawlor was talking to someone else.
A third man approached him from the right-hand side and told the developer he was going to get every assistance to get his projects off the ground. Mr Gilmartin said he was bringing a major investment into Ireland and he would expect that people would be happy with that.
"We're all aware that you're going to make hundreds of millions of pounds from these projects," the man said. Mr Gilmartin said it wouldn't be him that would make the money but the people who invested in the developments.
"We think you should give us some of that money up front," the man said, according to Mr Gilmartin.
Mr Gilmartin said the man told him to deposit £5 million in an Isle of Man bank account and handed him a small piece of paper with an account number written on it.
Mr Gilmartin said he responded: "Oh yeah, that's not a lot. You people make the so-and-so Mafia look like monks. You're not serious."
Mr Gilmartin said that at that stage he walked off and when he looked around, Mr Lawlor had disappeared.
He said the man grabbed him by the hand, perhaps in an attempt to retrieve the piece of paper. "You could end up in the so-and-so Liffey for that remark," the man said.
Mr Gilmartin said he told the man to "so-and-so off".
On the way out, he met Cllr Seán Walsh, who told him he was being "taken to the cleaners" and that he would "watch his back".
Mr Gallagher said Mr Flynn and Mr Brennan would say they hadn't attended any such meeting.
The witness said they were not telling the truth.
"Mr Flynn is not telling the truth because Mr Flynn knew me quite well and had a number of meetings before that. We were on first-name terms, and he stood up and beckoned to Mrs O'Rourke and said 'This is Tom Gilmartin'. He also introduced me to Mr Haughey as he walked around the table," Mr Gilmartin said.
Regarding Mr Brennan saying he had not attended such a meeting, Mr Gilmartin said: "Mr Brennan is lying as well. He was sitting right beside me to my right-hand side as I face the table. He would have known me very well."
A similar denial by Mr Burke was "totally inaccurate," he added.
Regarding Mr Ahern's assertion that he could not recollect such a meeting, Mr Gilmartin said he had had three meetings with Mr Ahern before this date. He was on first-name terms with Mr Ahern, who had greeted him when he entered the room.
Mr Gilmartin said he knew the meeting took place. "Bring me a graphic designer for you, and I will paint the room, the corridor, the lift for you," he said.