MR Frank Dunlop settled with the Revenue Commissioners for £285,000 when he first came under investigation by the Flood tribunal, he has revealed.
By Paul Cullen
Mr Dunlop said he made a payment of £240,000 in October 1998, and a further VAT payment of £45,000 in January 1999, arising from his failure to declare the money he was using to bribe councillors.
The tribunal first contacted him in October 1998. Asked if more money was due, Mr Dunlop said that as matters stood, the Revenue was waiting for the tribunal to make a finding. But there was "an evil day" coming when the Revenue would make a judgment on his case.
He agreed with Mr Seamus Ó Tuathail SC, for Senator Don Lydon, there was "a certain coincidence" in time between the approach from the tribunal and his contact with the Revenue.
Mr Dunlop revised upwards his estimated number of clients from his evidence last week.
In earlier, evidence, he said he had 10 clients, of whom five knew that he was bribing politicians.
Yesterday, he said that on checking he now estimated he had 21 clients, of whom 12 knew he was making payments to politicians.
Mr Ó Tuathail said Mr Dunlop's memory was fluctuating even as he gave evidence, yet he had never written down the details of his transactions with clients and politicians.
Mr Dunlop said he didn't accept this. "It is an immutable fact that I knew the people I dealt with, how I dealt with them and why I dealt with them."