The former assistant Dublin city and county manager, Mr George Redmond, facilitated negotiations between Mr Michael Bailey and the Murphy group over the sale of 20 acres of land in Swords in 1988, the tribunal was told.
Mr Bailey, managing director of Bovale Developments, said Mr Redmond phoned him in early 1988 telling him Mr James Gogarty was selling land in Swords on behalf of the Murphy group, and he was prepared to arrange a meeting for him with Mr Gogarty.
He said the telephone call followed a chance meeting almost a year before in the Phoenix Park when Mr Bailey was talking to a neighbour, Mr Patrick Downey, and Mr Redmond was introduced to him.
He said he was aware Mr Redmond worked for Dublin County Council, but did not know his "function" in the local authority.
The main part of the conversation between the three men concerned the "major social problem" of itinerants in the Mulhuddart area of Dublin, where Mr Bailey and Mr Downey owned some land. He said itinerants were trespassing on land in the area with greyhounds and whippets and were frightening cattle.
"He [Mr Redmond] was very emphatic about it. He said `What is the remedy?'. There's no remedy because they go from place to place, it's just one of those things. We still have it to this very day." Mr Redmond asked him how the building trade was performing and Mr Bailey told him it was "on its knees" and his company was selling houses at losses.
"Then I just happened to say to him, `If you know anybody that has a piece of land, I will always be interested in having a look', because sometimes you can make more money in recessions than booms," Mr Bailey said.
Counsel for the tribunal, Mr Desmond O'Neill SC, asked him what function he thought Mr Redmond could have had in acquiring land.
"I didn't have a clue what function he had had, to be quite honest," said Mr Bailey. "I'd ask anyone if they had a piece of land. I do it every day of the week."
He described the subsequent phone call from Mr Redmond sometime in early 1988: "He suggested that there was a piece of land out in Swords which might be of interest and that a man called James Gogarty had it for sale." He said during the phone call they agreed to meet Mr Gogarty at Clontarf Castle.
Mr Bailey described the meeting: "Mr Redmond simply said Mr Gogarty had some land for sale and said if it interests you, well and good. I think it was over in a few minutes."
Mr O'Neill referred Mr Bailey to a statement made to the tribunal by Mr Redmond in which he said the Phoenix Park meeting took place in 1988 and the lands at Swords were mentioned specifically at that stage. Mr Bailey said he disagreed with both statements.