Cork developer Owen O'Callaghan said today he was not concerned when he heard about a garda investigation into planning corruption in Dublin County Council in 1993 because the £40,000 payments he made to councillors were political contributions.
And he denied senior AIB bank official Michael O'Farrell ever raised concerns with him about a series of articles on planning corruption that appeared in the
Irish Timesin 1993.
The planning tribunal is currently questioning Mr O'Callaghan as part of the Quarryvale II module, an investigation into allegations of corruption surrounding the rezoning of land on which the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre is built.
Counsel for the tribunal, Patricia Dillon SC, said a bank memo written in July 1993 mentioned a series of articles written in the
Irish Timesby journalist Frank MacDonald. The articles raised concerns about rezoning decisions made by councillors as part of the Dublin County Council development plan and mentioned the Quarryvale development. It also said then minister for the environment Michael Smith had asked gardaí to investigate the matter and would consider exercising his powers to rescind the county development plan.
Ms Dillon asked Mr O'Callaghan if he was concerned when he heard about the garda investigation, given that he had already made payments to some councillors.
"No, because... these were all political contributions as far as I was concerned," Mr O'Callaghan said.
This morning, former assistant Dublin city and county manager George Redmond told the Mahon tribunal he did not bully his staff.
The 84-year-old attended Dublin Castle to cross-examine former planning officer for the council Enda Conway, in connection with the tribunal's Carrickmines module.
Carrickmines in South Dublin was rezoned as part of a council development plan, completed in 1993. The tribunal has been investigating alleged corruption surrounding the rezoning and is currently allowing cross-examination of certain witnesses as part of the finalising of its public hearings on all modules.
