Lowry admits mistake about cheque

MR Michael Lowry has admitted that he was mistaken about the details of one cheque for £6,500 received from Dunnes Stores.

MR Michael Lowry has admitted that he was mistaken about the details of one cheque for £6,500 received from Dunnes Stores.

The admission is made in the final report of the inquiry conducted by Judge Gerard Buchanan into alleged payments to politicians and public officials in the Price" Waterhouse report.

With the assistance of Mr Ben Dunne, who has identified the "major portion" of the 1,600 payments, Judge Buchanan said that further payments were identified which were made to Mr Lowry and/or Streamline Enterprise.

They are:

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. December 21st, 1990, cash cheque for £8,500 paid through Bank of Ireland, Thurles, with the alleged beneficiary being Mr Lowry.

. December 11th, 1991, cash cheque for £8,000 paid through AIB Dame Street. Endorsement illegible. The alleged beneficiary is Staff Xmas Box - Streamline, M. Lowry.

. December 15th, 1992, cheque for £12,000 paid through Bank of Ireland, Thurles. Endorsement illegible. The alleged beneficiary is Streamline Enterprises Xmas boxes for staff.

Informed of these payments, Mr Lowry told Judge Buchanan that he had investigated the payments and confirmed that they were paid by Dunnes Stores for the purposes of Christmas bonuses for the staff of Streamline Enterprises.

"However, arising from his investigations into these payments, he discovered that the details earlier provided in respect of a cheque in the sum of £6,500, dated July 10th, 1991, were inadvertently in error", the judge reports.

He continues: "At the date of his original letter, Mr Lowry believed that this cheque was also paid by Dunnes Stores as a bonus for staff of Streamline Enterprises. However, arising from further investigation it is now clear to him that the cheque of £6,500, date July 10th, 1991, was a payment by way of reimbursement of moneys spent by Streamline Enterprises in connection with the site on which Streamline's factory is now built, Dunnes Stores having agreed to provide Streamline Enterprises with financial backing for the site and warehouse. Mr Lowry subsequently transferred the sum of £6,500 to Streamline Enterprises on August 19th, 1991.

Two payments were identified for Mr Ronan Collins of RTE:

December 7th, 1992, cash cheque for £6,000 signed by Mr Dunne and endorsed Ronan Collins.

. September 30th, 1993, cheque for £15,000 cash, signed by Mr Ben Dunne "which I was informed was in respect of a car for Mr Collins", according to the judge's report.

Geraldine Kennedy

Geraldine Kennedy

Geraldine Kennedy was editor of The Irish Times from 2002 to 2011