Three politicians who had been in receipt of payments from Mr Frank Dunlop attempted to contact him after he gave evidence to the Flood tribunal last month, he told the tribunal yesterday.
Mr Dunlop said he believed one "was the person who was responsible for a rumour that circulated yesterday that I was not appearing here today".
Counsel for the tribunal, Mr Patrick Hanratty SC, asked whether a quote which Mr Dunlop attributed to this politician in written evidence could be interpreted as a threat.
Mr Dunlop replied: "I have been around too long now to interpret things as threats. I just took it as typical."
This same person had succeeded in making contact with Mr Dunlop by mobile phone just after the last tribunal sitting was adjourned when Mr Dunlop suddenly took ill.
But Mr Dunlop said: "It was not possible for me to speak to him. I was under medical supervision and I was ordered not to".
A second politician, who like the first appeared on more than one of the lists of payment recipients which Mr Dunlop has provided to the tribunal, "rang my house within minutes of my being driven home after my becoming ill here the last day, and while the doctor was with me".
However, Mr Dunlop said the person in question did not succeed in speaking to him as "my wife didn't put him through".
The third politician attempted to contact Mr Dunlop but failed. He, too, was on more than one of Mr Dunlop's payment lists.
Asked whether any third parties had contacted him or attempted to contact him on another person's behalf, Mr Dunlop said he was anecdotally aware that there were "semi-public comments" being made about the evidence that he gave "and continue to give".
"Some of this has taken place on overtly social occasions such as race meetings and otherwise, and some of it has been reported back to me by independent people" who the people who made the comments were not aware were friends of his.
Mr Hanratty asked Mr Dunlop whether or not the comments were of the sort which were intended to go back to him. Mr Dunlop replied: "I would say both."
Asked whether any of the people who were the sources of Mr Dunlop's funds had made contact with him since he last gave evidence, Mr Dunlop replied: "Only one".
The person in question had attempted to contact him three times on his mobile phone to no avail.
"I had no idea what the reason for the contact would be," said Mr Dunlop, adding: "I would not like to accuse the person".
Counsel for Mr Dunlop, Mr Colm Allen SC, said it was worth bearing in mind that at the time his client received "a substantial number of telephone calls from individuals who wished to express sympathy or whatever".
The tribunal chairman said he fully understood what Mr Allen was saying and there was nothing wrong with such contact.
In relation to the contact in question, Mr Allen said: "It would have been an absolutely bona-fide telephone call".
After Mr Dunlop completed his evidence on this matter, Mr Hanratty requested an adjournment to enable Mr Dunlop to refresh his memory on possible further payments to politicians and to allow the tribunal legal team to do further research.
Mr Justice Flood said he would adjourn the matter in relation to Mr Dunlop until further notice and the tribunal would sit again tomorrow at 10.30 a.m. when Mr George Redmond is due to resume his evidence.
