Arab sent BMW in thanks to Dr John O'Connell

Moriarty tribunal: A wealthy Arab sent a "top of the range" BMW to former minister Dr John O'Connell, who had sponsored successful Irish passport applications for a number of the man's associates, it emerged at a hearing of the Moriarty Tribunal in Dublin yesterday.

Dr O'Connell told the tribunal he sent the car back to the late Mahmoud Fustok two days after receiving it in 1980. He said he had only once taken a political donation during his political career. That was £200 he took from businessman Pat Quinn, who was trying to give him £2,000.

"I always felt that if you accepted [ a donation], you were under their due."

Dr O'Connell was responding to questions from Jerry Healy SC, for the tribunal.

He said some of the documents in the Department of Justice files concerning the passport applications had annoyed him. "I felt they [officials in the department] were implying that I may have got a reward for my work, and the answer is yes. Mr Fustok sent me a top-of-the-range BMW car, and left the car at my door, and I sent it back two days later."

Dr O'Connell said he always funded his own political campaigns. When he was a Labour Party TD he returned donations from trade unions. He said he found out later that sending the car back to Mr Fustok was considered insulting. He agreed that the incident in 1980 indicated that Mr Fustok was appreciative of the help Dr O'Connell had provided.

He said he had been in a limousine with Mr Fustok one day when they discussed cars. Dr O'Connell had said he drove a Citroen but thought BMWs were the best cars. "A few months later the car arrived."

The tribunal heard that Dr O'Connell, who now lives in London, had been through a period of very bad health. At one stage he was "at death's door", he said.

He said Mr Fustok was a son-in-law of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, the former crown prince. On Christmas Day, 1979, he had met Dr Mahmoud Barbir at a house in Dublin. Dr Barbir was studying medicine in Dublin.

A number of Lebanese Palestinians who had fled Lebanon during the civil war there were living in Dublin and being assisted by Dr Barbir, Dr O'Connell said, and he was asked to help.

In 1980, he sponsored an application for citizenship on residency grounds for four of these people. A form shown to the tribunal showed Dr O'Connell had signed the document stating he had known the men for seven years. He said this had not been the case. He subsequently sponsored a number of other, related applications. All of the people were related to or connected with Mr Fustok.

Dr O'Connell said he approached the then taoiseach, Charles Haughey, about the original four applicants being given citizenship on humanitarian grounds. A letter from Dr O'Connell to Mr Haughey, dated July 1980, stated that Dr O'Connell had "befriended" the four applicants soon after they had arrived in Dublin in the mid-1970s. "That's not correct. It was 1979," Dr O'Connell said.

Dr O'Connell said he may have had contact 12 to 16 times with Mr Haughey in relation to the matter.

Dr O'Connell said he first become friendly with Mr Haughey when they had discussed an article by journalist Bruce Arnold which, Dr O'Connell said, Mr Haughey had said "as much as said I had my hands in the till".

Dr O'Connell said he knew Mr Arnold and he had arranged a lunch attended by him and Mr Haughey. He said his relationship with Mr Haughey was a "peculiar kind of relationship", adding: "I looked upon him as a friend. He looked upon me maybe as someone who suits his purpose. I don't know. I did persuade him, finally, that he should retire. I have to say that I succeeded in that respect."

He said Mr Fustok had suggested to Mr Haughey that crown prince Abdullah should be invited to Ireland. However, Mr Fustok had fallen out with Mr Haughey after he failed to invite him to his talks. During the visit, the crown prince had made representations to Mr Haughey's secretary about the naturalisation of a Mustapha El-Imad. Mr El-Imad had since died, Dr O'Connell said.