Monarch Properties used to take large number of Dublin county councillors out to restaurants "all over the place," the tribunal has heard.
Senator Don Lydon (Fianna Fáil) said Richard Lynn, project co-ordinator of Monarch's development at Cherrywood, would regularly "round up a pile of councillors and off we'd go and he'd pay the tab".
He said Mr Lynn was "a bit of craic" and very sociable. He'd buy drinks or meals for everyone, regardless of creed.
Mr Lydon assumed Mr Lynn was trying to get the councillors to like him and his project. His philosophy was to put his case for a development but not to push it, and then suggest going for a drink. He would go for "a jar" with Mr Lynn and find 20 other people there. Once, they went to L'Ecrivain restaurant and he was taken aback to find a roomful of Fine Gael people there with their spouses, but he sat down and had a great night.
However, he hardly ever discussed Cherrywood with Mr Lynn, Mr Lydon said.
Mr Lynn was canvassing everyone, so he didn't need him to do it.
Mr Lydon admitted that his evidence to the Fianna Fáil inquiry in 2000 was wrong and said he was "all skyways" at the time. He told the inquiry he got payments of £400 to £500 from Monarch at the time of the 1991 and 1999 local elections, and a £1,000 contribution during the 1993 Seanad election campaign.
Mr Lydon now acknowledges receiving £600 in 1991, £2,500 in 1992/93 and £450 in 1999 from Monarch and its executives. In addition, he says he got a £1,000 contribution from Mr Dunlop in 1992/93 and £250 in 1999.
Mr Lydon said it was only a matter of time before the entire Cherrywood area was going to be developed. Houses would be built there sooner or later.
He didn't know Mr Dunlop was lobbying on behalf of Monarch in 1993 and he didn't believe he did much for the company. When it was put to him that Monarch had paid over £80,000 to Mr Dunlop, Mr Lydon said that when developers were going for a rezoning, "they'd lay out millions because they're going to make hundreds of millions".
