A Fianna Fáil county councillor, Mr Larry Butler, told the Mahon tribunal yesterday that he believed Mr Liam Lawlor was involved in a controversial property company which sought to rezone lands at Carrickmines in south Dublin. Paul Cullen reports.
Mr Butler, a councillor on Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown county council, told the tribunal he believed that Mr Lawlor and businessman Mr Jim Kennedy were the two people involved in the offshore company, Paisley Park.
The former Government press secretary, Mr Frank Dunlop, had lobbied him about the proposal, and he felt Mr Dunlop was acting on behalf of Mr Lawlor and Mr Kennedy. This was what he understood to be "the general background" at the time.
Mr Lawlor, who was involved in a number of business deals with Mr Kennedy, has denied having any involvement in Paisley Park.
Mr Butler, the only FF representative in the Glencullen ward in which the Paisley Park lands were situated, opposed its re- zoning and a subsequent at- tempt by Jackson Way to rezone the lands in 1997. He cited the opposition of local residents as the reason for opposing attempts to rezone land in Carrickmines.
Mr Butler acknowledged receiving two bottles of wine as a Christmas gift from the architect Mr Brian O'Halloran, one of a group of landowners who were seeking to rezone other lands in the area. He also received £350 as a "cash gift"; £100 of this he passed to Fianna Fáil in Dún Laoghaire and £250 related to a pub function in 1993 held to raise funds for a newsletter. He said he "recycled" the wine by giving it away as spot prizes.
Mr O'Halloran recorded in a note in 1992 that he asked Mr Butler to sign a rezoning motion. The councillor said he was "not in a position" to sign it, but he undertook to talk to Cllr Don Lydon or Cllr Tony Fox about this and suggested Fine Gael's Mr Liam Cosgrave as a seconder, according to Mr O'Halloran.
Mr Butler said the note was incorrect. He denied advising Mr O'Halloran to contact Cllr Lydon or Cllr Fox, or mentioning the name of Cllr Cosgrave or anyone else in Fine Gael. All he advised Mr O'Halloran was to contact any other member of the council.
Mr Pat Quinn SC, for the tribunal, said Mr O'Halloran was "an experienced and meticulous notetaker" and had made the note at the time. Mr O'Halloran also contributed £1,000 to Fianna Fáil in 1996, and received a letter of thanks from Mr Butler.
In 1997, Mr Butler met Mr Dunlop in relation to a second attempt to rezone the Paisley Park lands, which by now were owned by another company, Jackson Way. He said he asked the lobbyist who owned the lands but Mr Dunlop said he didn't know, and was dealing with an agent in Birmingham.
Mr Dunlop has claimed Mr Butler told him he would do everything in his power to support the motion, but would not propose it or speak publicly in favour of it. Yesterday, Mr Butler denied this. "Mr Dunlop was under no illusions that I would be vigorously attacking the motion," he said.