The arrest of Mr George Redmond, as he returned from the Isle of Man with his pockets and a bag stuffed with notes and bank drafts amounting to £300,000, is straight out of a B-movie. But it's the possibility of a sequel that is striking fear into the hearts of many involved in planning and local politics in Dublin in the 1980s.
Mr Redmond's dash to empty his bank accounts in the Isle of Man is the latest in a series of impulsive acts and statements by him in recent months. Only last week he told a Sunday newspaper: "I don't have a bank account in the Isle of Man,"
Late last month, he stood down his legal team. Asked for an explanation, he blamed massive bills. However, legal sources insist this is not the reason. Not having any lawyers didn't stop Mr Redmond making several personal interventions during Mr James Gogarty's evidence earlier this month. He summarised his defence against Mr Gogarty's allegations to Mr Justice Flood thus: "I had limited powers and they did not include planning. Thank you, your worship." Last year, the 74-year-old former assistant Dublin city and county manager was known to be depressed about the allegations he was facing. On top of Mr Gogarty's claims that he received two large payments from the building firm JMSE, at least two other developers have made allegations to the tribunal about his involvement in planning decisions.
The sequence of events that led to Friday's dramatic arrest is becoming clear. Mr Redmond was indeed concerned about the legal bill he would face if he did not co-operate with the tribunal. If the chairman, Mr Justice Flood, so decided, he could end up paying not only his own costs but some of the tribunal's as well.
But the possibility of other, even greater bills - for tax - was also growing. And there was the threat that the tribunal could recommend he be prosecuted for obstructing its work.
In recent months, tribunal lawyers have been putting together a detailed picture of the financial affairs of Mr Redmond, Mr Ray Burke and others. Mr Redmond never earned more than about £40,000 a year, but has considerable resources in Ireland and overseas. This raised questions about his possible liability for tax on undeclared income.
It appears he buckled. Having earlier submitted a short statement denying Mr Gogarty's allegation, he later agreed to talk to the tribunal. Speculation raged that he might become a "friendly" witness.
Mr Redmond agreed to give the tribunal access to his bank details in the Isle of Man. In return for his co-operation, he hoped to secure agreement that his legal costs would be met. He also wanted immunity from prosecution on his evidence to the tribunal, which was given to Mr Gogarty. Finally, he was anxious to avoid being prosecuted for obstruction, the fate currently faced by Mr Charles Haughey.
He was told that if he failed to co-operate, detectives from the Criminal Assets Bureau would be called in. The talks on immunity collapsed. It is thought the tribunal was unhappy with the co-operation it was receiving. Mr Redmond's legal team then found itself in an impossible position, with a conflict between their instruction and information given to the tribunal. It withdrew.
The situation is broadly similar to that of Mr Burke, who also had discussions about co-operating with the tribunal. After these talks hit difficulties, Mr Burke's legal team pulled out.
Just why Mr Redmond rushed to empty his accounts is not clear. CAB detectives had been monitoring him for less than a week. Garda sources were reported yesterday as saying they had received "an anonymous tip-off". But the same sources say Mr Redmond claimed he was withdrawing the money to pay his legal fees.
Whatever the reasons, the stakes have been raised for everyone at the tribunal. On top of the stack of allegations he is already facing, Mr Redmond could be looking at up to five years in jail if he is prosecuted for tax offences and found guilty.
The threat of this might give the tribunal the extra leverage it has lacked up to now in its talks with Mr Redmond. But there is little prospect, given the events of last Friday, of the former bureaucrat becoming a "star witness" to the tribunal.
However, there are pitfalls for the tribunal, too. Its work could be seriously impeded if Mr Redmond insisted on remaining silent until the CAB investigation was played out. He could argue that giving evidence might result in self-incrimination. In addition, Mr Gogarty's evidence could be interrupted if he made further allegations against Mr Redmond.