THE hotelier who leases Sachs Hotel in Dublin from Mr Hugh Tunney told the High Court yesterday that he deplored the IRA, and everything it stood for and he would never be involved in drugs.
Mr Philip Smyth, a director of Genport Ltd, was giving evidence in an action in which he claims that telephone calls were made alleging he was laundering drugmoney for the IRA through the hotel and that his brother, now a Garda chief superintendent, assisted him.
In the claim made through his company, he alleges the calls were made on lines listed in the names of Tunney Meats Ltd and/or Mr Tunney.
The calls were made to the South East Regional Crime Squad of the British police and the Dorchester Hotel, London.
Genport Ltd, Upper George Street, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, is counterclaiming against Crofter Properties Ltd, Philipsburgh Avenue, Dublin, of which Mr Tunney is a director.
Crofter Properties denies the counterclaims. It states that if any of the telephone calls were made they were not made for or on behalf of or with the consent or knowledge of Crofter, by itself, its servants or agents. It denied that Crofter, by itself, its servants or agents made any communication with the parties referred to in the counterclaim.
Genport claims that between January 1993 and November 1994, a series of malicious, untrue and defamatory calls were made by or on behalf of Crofter from telephone lines in Classiebawn Castle, Co Sligo, in the names of Tunney Meats Ltd and/or Mr Hugh Tunney as sub scriber. In these telephone calls, it is claimed, a female caller falsely and maliciously made the allegations.
Crofter is claiming that Genport failed to pay the rent on Sachs from August 1993 to November 1st, 1995. Genport claims there were reasons justifying the nonpayment, including the claims in the counterclaim.
Yesterday, Mr Michael Collins SC, for Genport, asked Mr Smyth if there was any truth in the allegations that he or his brother were laundering drug money or dealing with the IRA in any shape or form.
Mr Smyth said he absolutely deplored the IRA and everything it stood for. He would never be involved in drugs.
Earlier, a former Garda chief superintendent, Mr Brendan Byrnes, said that in 1993 he was contacted by an officer from the British South East Regional Crime Squad who came to Dublin and showed him a document.
The substance of the reference to the Smyth brothers in the document was the allegation that drugs money was being laundered for the IRA. He was told the source of the information was a woman with an Irish voice ringing the South Eastern Regional Crime Squad from Ireland.
Gardai carried out an investigation and the conclusion was that there was no evidence or indication of the allegations or evidence or indication of money laundering. The case continues.