Political pressure is growing on Fianna Fáil senator, Mr Don Lydon following claims at the Flood tribunal that he sought a £5,000 bribe for his vote on a rezoning motion.
Opposition TDs responded to the allegation by lobbyist Mr Frank Dunlop by calling on Mr Lydon to clarify his position.
Mr Dunlop told the tribunal he eventually paid Mr Lydon £3,000 in 1992 after the politician actively sought a bribe in return for signing a motion to rezone 106 acres of land at Carrickmines in south Dublin..
Mr Lydon strenuously denies the allegations.
Mr Dunlop also claimed that Mr Lydon told him several years ago the tribunal was tapping his (Dunlop's) phone and that he should be careful about talking to anyone, in particular politicians.
Last night, Green Party TD, Mr Paul Gogarty, said Mr Lydon should make a statement about the allegations. Alternatively, he should "take a back seat" in the Oireachtas until the tribunal had dealt with the matter.
Mr Gogarty said Mr Lydon had a right to give his side of the story, but he called on the Fianna Fáil senator to "explain himself" over his "very strange" remark about phone-tapping.
Socialist Party TD, Mr Joe Higgins, also called on Mr Lydon to make a public statement clarifying matters.
"Every person has a right to contradict allegations and he should now take this opportunity," Mr Higgins said.
Labour described Mr Dunlop's general allegations as "extremely serious" but declined to comment on Mr Lydon's case.
"It emphasises the need for everyone to co-operate with the tribunal so that Mr Justice Flood can report back as soon as possible," a spokesman said.
However, Fianna Fáil is not expected to take any action in relation to Mr Lydon or other party councillors mentioned in evidence until the tribunal has reported on this module.
A spokesman said the party was "watching with interest and awaits the report".
In his second day in the witness-box, Mr Dunlop also claimed that deceased Fine Gael councillor, Mr Tom Hand, had sought £10,000 for his support for the Carrickmines rezoning. Mr Dunlop replied "no way" and after some discussion, the two men settled on a payment of £3,000, he told the tribunal.
Mr Dunlop said that there was "no other way" to describe his payment to Mr Lydon other than as a bribe.
He said that the payments to Mr Lydon and Mr Hand were made in cash from £25,000 he had been given by the businessman Mr Jim Kennedy, who owned the land at Carrickmines.
Mr Lydon, who could not be contacted last night, told a Fianna Fáil inquiry two years ago he got a political contribution of £420 during council elections in 1999 and £1,000 during a Seanad election campaign in 1993.
He told The Irish Times in 1993 he had never been offered inducements beyond "a drink or a lunch".
Mr Dunlop accepts he made the two payments listed by Mr Lydon and that they were legitimate political contributions. But he stands over his evidence that he made an additional payment of £3,000 as well as a further payment of £1,000 in relation to the rezoning of Quarryvale.
Mr Dunlop's evidence yesterday placed former Fianna Fáil TD, Mr Liam Lawlor, at the centre of the alleged bribery plot. He claimed Mr Lawlor was the first person to tell him that money would have to be paid to councillors in return for their votes.
Mr Dunlop said this occurred in 1990, around the time he consciously decided to participate in a "system" for bribing councillors. The two men had a number of discussions about the system and what was required to operate it.
He claimed Mr Lawlor had a financial interest in the lands, yet voted in 1991 against proposals that would have made it easier to rezone them.
According to Mr Dunlop, Mr Lawlor drew up the motion that was submitted to the council and was fully aware of the payments made to Mr Lydon and Mr Hand.
The High Court taxing master yesterday ordered Mr Lawlor to pay €630,000 of the tribunal's legal costs arising from proceedings.