Mahon Tribunal:A former director of Monarch properties has denied ever saying words attributed to him by the lobbyist Frank Dunlop, to the effect that he had to "do whatever you have to do" to get things done on Dublin County Council.
In his evidence to the Mahon tribunal at Dublin Castle yesterday, Eddie Sweeney acknowledged that the company had made payments to politicians, and that he had recruited Mr Dunlop as a lobbyist for the company in March 1993.
But the decision to recruit Mr Dunlop was taken by the late Phil Monahan, father of the current managing director of Monarch, Paul Monahan, he said.
The tribunal is investigating allegations made by Mr Dunlop that as a lobbyist for the company, he bribed councillors to secure the rezoning of Monarch's land at Cherrywood in south Dublin.
It is also examining substantial payments made to politicians by the company.
But Mr Sweeney said he was "outraged" when he heard the words that Mr Dunlop alleged were said by him at a meeting in 1993 and regarded them as a "slight on my character". When he first heard the words a few weeks ago, his immediate reaction was to seek legal advice, but learned that the allegations were made under the protections afforded by the High Court.
It was "absolutely ludicrous" to suggest that he or Monarch Properties expected councillors would be bribed by Mr Dunlop, he also told Patrick Quinn, senior counsel for the tribunal.
Previously, Mr Dunlop has claimed that Mr Sweeney had also said at a meeting, in the presence of deceased former TD Liam Lawlor, that an awful lot of people had been looked after and they were "ungrateful bastards".
Again, Mr Sweeney yesterday denied this was true. He also said he had no knowledge of two separate cheques, totalling £15,000, made out to cash at an AIB branch in November 1992. This was despite his signing off the records, as a director of the firm.
The cheques appeared among a list compiled by Monarch of payments to politicians.
Under an agreement with Mr Dunlop, the lobbyist was supposed to receive £4,000 a month for his services, with £25,000 as an up-front payment in March 1993, Mr Sweeney said.
However, the tribunal has heard that he received significantly more than this amount.
Mr Dunlop had received a success fee of £50,000 from Monarch, Mr Sweeney confirmed.Under earlier questioning by Mr Quinn, Mr Sweeney claimed Monarch's partners in the Cherrywood project, London-based Guardian Royal Exchange, had agreed in 1991 to pay 50 per cent of over £550,000 in "third-party" costs associated with the development.
Among the costs allowed for in these payments were "strategy consultancy fees", which Mr Sweeney acknowledged related to at least £25,000 in payments to politicians.