The story in today's Irish In- dependent contains allegations of what a witness, to be called to the Flood tribunal next week, is supposedly to allege. The paper states that it could not contact the person in question to establish if he is, in fact, going to make the allegations the paper has published this morning.
The allegations published by the paper are extremely serious. Bribery is a criminal offence.
I have met Frank Dunlop on a number of occasions over the years, including at Fine Gael fundraisers at which I understand he was an invited paying guest. I would have had social conversations with him at such events.
But I have no recollection of him making a special arrangement, at a fundraising event or otherwise, to meet me to put before me an allegation that a named Fine Gael councillor solicited a bribe from him.
I am certain that this did not happen. It is something I would have remembered and would have investigated immediately.
An explanation would now be required from those publishing it, as to why an allegation of this nature would be made by a responsible political lobbyist given that it would appear that:
(a) it was not made by him to the Garda at the time, (b) it was apparently not laid before the tribunal when it was first set up and it issued invitations to everyone who had such information to come forward with it. If Mr Dunlop is going to make such an allegation now, one would have to ask why he did not give it to the tribunal at the outset.
I have co-operated fully with the tribunal and will continue to do so.
Fine Gael is not a court so it would be our policy that criminal allegations be investigated by the appropriate authorities and to fully co-operate with them.
No suggestion has been made to me by the tribunal that any allegation concerning me is to be made in the tribunal by Mr Dunlop.