Lawlor amends interests register for TDs

Mr Liam Lawlor's entry in the annual register of interests of Dβil members has been amended, five years after it was first made.

The West Dublin TD has submitted a statement retrospectively amending his entry to the register compiled in 1996. The amended entry was published in Iris Oifigi·il in October.

For the first time, he has declared a continuing interest in 23 acres near his home in Lucan, Co Dublin.

This interest continued after he sold the lands in 1995 in order to settle massive bank debts. In his entry, he says that his interest was denied by the new owner, Shearwater Properties.

Shearwater is an offshore company owned by Scottish mining millionaire Mr Harry Dobson.

Mr Lawlor also declared his interest in Clearview, a company involved in a multi-million pound sewerage development in Lucan. Earlier this year, the High Court was told that businessman Mr Jim Kennedy and solicitor, Mr John Caldwell, as well as Mr Dobson, held interests in the company.

The TD first acknowledged his business dealings with Mr Kennedy through Clearview in an interview with The Irish Times earlier this year.

After the High Court case involving the Flood tribunal and the TD, Mr Justice Smyth imposed a one-week jail sentence on Mr Lawlor, his second this year, for contempt.

He has appealed this decision to the Supreme Court, which has reserved its judgment.

In the present register, Clearwater is listed with an Irish address and Mr Lawlor claims 50 per cent ownership.

However, in the amended entry for 1996, he lists the company with an address in Jersey and claims a 25 per cent interest.

In his amended entry, he also claims a 5 per cent share of the Rufus Foundation. Mr Lawlor says this is owned by Mr Dobson, but he adds that "the owner has yet to confirm that he will abide by an agreement to transfer the shares" to Eastern International, a company owned by Mr Lawlor and his wife Hazel.

The TD said yesterday he had submitted new information to the clerk of the Dβil in 1997, but it hadn't been published at the time because of "a mix-up in the paperwork".

This was confirmed by a Dβil spokeswoman who said that when the TD filed new information it was typed up and returned to him for verification. However, Mr Lawlor did not return this version and so his entry in the register remained unchanged.

Mr Lawlor explained that his lawyers had told him he was not required to declare the information, which related to business interests.