The Labour Party in Dun Laoghaire has confirmed it returned £1,450 in donations from a property developer because it felt the contributions were "inappropriate".
Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Progressive Democrats received the same amount but did not return the money, according to the developer, Mr Edward Sweeney.
The local Labour organisation says it received a £1,000 cheque in January 1999 from a company owned by Mr Sweeney, which he says was intended as a contribution towards the party's electoral expenses. The money was returned a few weeks later. A separate contribution of £450 was also returned to Mr Sweeney, though the party could not say whether it was a donation to the constituency organisation or to an individual councillor.
Mr Sweeney is the developer of the Pavilion site in Dun Laoghaire and was a director of Monarch Properties until 1996.
His company, Pavilion Leisure Complex Ltd, made the contributions six months before the last local elections.
A spokesman for the company said the contributions were made when "all planning decisions relating to Pavilion were long gone".
The donations were part of a series of contributions made by Mr Sweeney to community activities, including substantial donations for Dun Laoghaire Horse Show and the town's Christmas lights, the spokesman said.
A spokesman for Fine Gael said last night that Mr Sweeney had purchased two £500 tickets for a golf classic organised for the benefit of the Dun Laoghaire constituency council last year. He confirmed that Cllr Donal Marren had received £450 from Mr Sweeney's company.
The PDs said Mr Sweeney had purchased 10 tickets for its national fund-raising draw at a cost of £100 each.
"This is one of our main sources of funds and it is a legitimate fund-raising activity," the spokesman said.
Former councillor Mr Larry Lohan confirmed last night that he sold the tickets to Mr Sweeney but said he did not receive any other donation.
A spokesman for Fianna Fail said it was party policy not to comment on donations.
Mr Sweeney sent four cheques for £450 in all to four Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown councillors. The developer would not say last night who the councillors were.
The local Labour Party constituency organisation issued a statement in which it confirmed receiving both donations.
"The Dun Laoghaire Labour Party constituency organisation in January 1999 received an unsolicited contribution of £1,000 from a company associated with developments in the Dun Laoghaire area. The cheque was lodged to the local Labour Party's account," the statement said.
"Following a review by the constituency executive shortly afterwards, they decided that it was inappropriate to accept the contribution."
A spokesman for Mr Sweeney said the company had received a letter of thanks for its donation from a Labour councillor, Ms Jane Dillon Byrne, but that Mr Sweeney had been visited subsequently by the local party treasurer, who said the constituency council did not feel it was appropriate to accept a cheque from a property developer.
