Landowners in Lucan paid a Dublin county councillor £30,000 in cash to secure the rezoning of their land, an auctioneer who acted as go-between told the tribunal yesterday.
Mr William Coonan said he paid the councillor £15,000 in a hotel car-park in Lucan in January 1993, and a further £15,000 in Maynooth two months later. He was told the lands would have no chance of being rezoned if the money was not paid.
The councillor originally demanded £50,000 for consultancy, out-of-pocket expenses and travel on behalf of himself and other councillors who would support the rezoning.
The councillor and the landowners were not identified publicly at the tribunal. Instead, Mr Coonan was asked to write their names on a sheet of paper, which was then passed to Mr Justice Flood.
Mr Coonan said he was originally retained by his clients to sell the lands. There had been an option to sell the lands but this was running out. His first job was to discuss the question of this option being renewed. These discussions were successful and the second option was put in place. However, by the time this was finalised, rezoning was "becoming a possibility".
"My brief was expanded into helping in whatever way I could," he said.
At the time the development plan for the county was being reviewed. He wrote to and contacted councillors in relation to rezoning.
In late 1992 or early 1993, he was approached by a councillor and a meeting was arranged in the home of one of his clients.
The councillor said he was very much in favour of residential development and the building of more houses for people, Mr Coonan said. At this stage, there was no question of money being involved.
Mr Coonan stressed that the councillor involved was not a Fine Gael member then or now.
Shortly afterwards, the councillor rang to demand £50,000 for "consultancy, out-of-pocket expenses and travel". The councillor said he would be making contributions out of this sum to other "favourable" councillors.
Asked whether the councillor had any particular expertise in relevant fields, the witness said he wasn't aware he had.
It was made clear there wasn't any guarantee of rezoning. The payment was partly "an entry fee" so that the lands would receive consideration. "If it wasn't paid, there was no chance that the lands would be rezoned," Mr Coonan said.
He had never been involved in anything like this before. He and his clients were "greenhorns".
In the weeks which followed, the councillor continually "hassled" him, looking for his clients' agreement. Finally, he settled for £30,000. The clients agreed to pay the sum.
Mr Coonan said he arranged to meet the councillor in the car-park of the Spa Hotel in Lucan, sometime in late January 1993. The half-payment of £15,000 was in an envelope but he didn't count it. "It wasn't a very pleasant thing to be doing," he said.
The balance was paid over in March 1993, at a meeting in a car in the square in Maynooth. By this stage, the lands had been put forward for rezoning at a vote in February.
Later that year, in the spring or summer, when the lands were coming up for consideration again at the council, the councillor demanded more money. Mr Coonan said his client refused to pay.
