MR GEORGE Redmond is due to make his long-awaited first appearance as a witness to the Flood Tribunal today as it returns from its summer recess.
The former Dublin assistant city and county manager, whose finances are currently under investigation by the Criminal Assets Bureau, will be questioned on payments which he received from developers Joseph Murphy Structural Engineering while he held office in the 1980s.
In a statement already furnished to the tribunal, Mr Redmond (75) denies receiving any money for planning favours but has acknowledged getting £25,000 at a meeting in Clontarf Castle for introducing former JMSE employee Mr James Gogarty to the developer Mr Michael Bailey in 1988. Some time later, JMSE sold lands at Forest Road, Swords to Mr Bailey for £1.3 million.
In the course of his evidence, Mr Gogarty spoke of a meeting at Clontarf Castle in May 1988 at which money was exchanged. However, he said only £15,000 was paid to Mr Redmond which was to compensate him for not being taken on as a consultant to JMSE on his retirement from the county council.
Mr Gogarty claimed Mr Redmond was looking for £25,000 but Mr Joseph Murphy jnr "got it down" to £15,000.
Mr Gogarty further alleged that Mr Redmond had sought a 10 per cent "bung" for helping to save JMSE some £120,000 in planning-related fees to which the county council was entitled.
The tribunal heard Mr Redmond advised the company to write to the council in 1988 offering to pay a levy agreed five years previously for roads and sewers on a proposed housing development at Forest Road provided the fee would not be increased when a new planning application was made. The council agreed and JMSE paid the levy at 1983 rates in June 1988.
Counsel for Mr Redmond has conceded that he may have provided information for a letter to be sent to the council or may have even given Mr Gogarty the text but it wasn't the same letter eventually sent to the council.
In his statement, Mr Redmond admitted to having a number of meetings with Mr Gogarty about lands owned by JMSE in north Dublin and possible future developments.
In addition, Mr Redmond admitted receiving a £2,000 payment from Mr Liam Conroy, a former chief executive of JMSE.
Legal sources had suggested that Mr Redmond might ask for his evidence to be postponed pending the outcome of his criminal trial - he is facing 10 charges of knowingly failing to file tax returns between 1988 and 1998. However, this now appears unlikely and his legal team was last night preparing for his evidence to take up most of this week's sittings.
It is expected Mr Redmond will be recalled at a later date to deal with matters arising from the tribunal's examination of his personal files which were seized from his home by the CAB last February on the day he was arrested at Dublin Airport returning from the Isle of Man with £300,000 in cash.
The files, understood to contain information on the Quarryvale shopping development in west Dublin and various planning matters stretching back to the early 1970s, are expected to widen significantly the scope of the tribunal's investigation.
The CAB had originally objected to the files being opened by the tribunal and fought in vain for privilege over them in the courts. It emerged last month, however, that the bureau had dropped its challenge, thus saving the tribunal from further legal delays.
Last May, it was revealed the bureau had assessed Mr Redmond for a tax liability in the order of £500,000 which, with penalties and interest, might rise to £2 million.
Eleven days ago, Mr Redmond was served with a book of evidence on charges of failing to make tax returns. He was remanded on bail to November 12th.
