MAHON TRIBUNAL:THE FORMER managing director of Green Property, the company behind the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre in west Dublin, told the tribunal his company must have known it made payments to the late Liam Lawlor.
John Corcoran, who was managing director of Green Property until 1993, also said the late Liam Lawlor was a “very avaricious man and all he wanted was to get as much money as he could, as quickly as he could, wherever he could”.
Green Property had told the Mahon tribunal that it did not have any knowledge of payments to Mr Lawlor in the 1980s and early 1990s. Mr Lawlor was a Fianna Fáil deputy and a Dublin councillor at the time.
Mr Corcoran said he found Mr Lawlor would assist the company in dealing with the local authority and would occasionally draft letters, but was not his “favourite man”. Counsel for the tribunal, Pat Quinn SC, said that according to figures supplied by Mr Lawlor to the tribunal, Green Property paid him up to £60,000 between 1985 and 1991. However, only two cheques have been discovered.
The first cheque, for £13,953, was made out to Economic Reports Ltd on November 3rd, 1988.
It was signed by Mr Corcoran and James McKenna, now a director of Green Property. Mr McKenna had told the tribunal he did not know it was a payment to Mr Lawlor. And Mr Lawlor said the cheque was a political donation. However, Mr Corcoran said it was a payment to Mr Lawlor for consultancy services. He also said Mr McKenna did know who the cheque was for.
“I’d say Lawlor’s here waiting for his cheque, would you ever stick your name on it,” Mr Corcoran said. “As far as I was concerned, it was good value.”
The second cheque, for £10,000, was made out to Comex Trading in February 1991 and was lodged to an account in the name of Niall Lawlor.
In May 1991, Mr Corcoran and Mr Lawlor “fell out”, the tribunal heard, after Mr Lawlor produced an amendment at Dublin county council which helped promote a rival development at Quarryvale, now known as the Liffey Valley shopping centre.
“I felt he misled me,” Mr Corcoran said. “He kept saying it [Quarryvale] was of no consequence; don’t be annoying yourself about it I think were the words.” He said he was later told that Mr Lawlor was “involved in Quarryvale personally”.
The tribunal was told that Green Property gave a draft for £5,000 to councillor Marian McGennis in May 1991, in advance of the crucial Quarryvale vote and shortly before a local election.
“I had no difficulty with that, Marian McGennis was vital to the interests of Green Property . . . we desperately needed her re-elected to represent us on Dublin county council,” Mr Corcoran said.
