Mahon tribunal: Monarch Properties had a tradition of making donations at election time with the aim of gaining access to politicians, the tribunal has heard.
Phil Reilly, a former manager of Tallaght town centre and other shopping centres run by the group, said fellow executive Richard Lynn referred to the tradition in 1991 as he showed him a list of politicians to whom contributions were being made.
He said Mr Lynn told him: "Monarch will be dealing with these people in the future and I need to be able to talk to them and get their time."
Mr Reilly said that although he had been in the property business for 20 years, this was the first company he had been in when an election was coming up. Mr Lynn asked him if he knew any of the names from Tallaght and he contacted some of these to see if they needed assistance. Mr Lynn took it from there.
The tribunal is investigating an allegation by Frank Dunlop that he bribed two councillors to secure the rezoning of Monarch's land at Cherrywood in south Dublin in 1993. Substantial political payments by the company to almost 70 politicians are also being examined.
In the 1992 general election campaign, Mr Reilly drew up a list of six politicians in Tallaght whom he felt deserved support.
Mary Harney and Michael Keating were to get £1,000 each, and Therese Ridge, Charlie O'Connor, Chris Flood and John Hannon £500 apiece.
Mr Reilly said he proposed the donations because he wanted "good people" representing Tallaght. Although the town centre had been built, only 20 of the 100 acres in the centre had been developed and the only other new building was a Garda station.
The area was almost a wilderness and there was still a lot at issue. He said there were no ties attached to the payments he recommended.
In 1993, he acted as a driver for Ms Ridge during a canvass of rural councillors for votes for Fine Gael in the 1993 Seanad election. He later billed Monarch for £180 for expenses incurred during two days of canvassing.
He denied there was confusion or dissension within the company in relation to its approach to the rezoning of Cherrywood.
