Bolger has no documents recording sale of horse

Horse breeder Jim Bolger told the Mahon tribunal he had no financial records to prove that he sold a horse to lobbyist Frank Dunlop in 1992. The tribunal heard that Mr Dunlop paid almost £64,000 to Mr Bolger for a foal in March 1992, including upkeep.

Mr Bolger said he selected a specific foal for Mr Dunlop in September 1992 after it was weaned.

"He had been talking for some time about having an interest in a racehorse in the stable, but I didn't think Frank Dunlop was the sort of person that would want to own a racehorse because of the risk and I steered him toward buying a foal," Mr Bolger said.

He told Mr Dunlop he'd select something for him that would make a profit in the yearling sales in late 1993. The horse he chose was sired by Project Manager out of Fauchee, he said. It was never named, but it did have a foal registration certificate.

However, the foal broke its neck and died after colliding with another horse in August 1993.

Counsel for the tribunal Patricia Dillon SC asked if he had given a receipt to Mr Dunlop when he received the money from him, in two payments of £40,000 sterling and £23,917.

Mr Bolger said he didn't remember, but thought it was not normal to issue receipts for credit transfers.

He said he did raise an invoice when the sale was made, but did not send it to Mr Dunlop. Instead he kept it for his own records.

Ms Dillon asked him if he still had those records and Mr Bolger replied that he did not retain records for longer than six years because his office was small.

He said he did not think he gave Mr Dunlop any documentation about the sale.

"In our business there is a huge element of trust. Frank obviously trusted me, as most people in the business do," he said.

He said that if he were to place an ad in any of the trade journals offering one of his foals "on a similar arrangement" tomorrow, he would be inundated with calls.

A document dated September 2004 from Weatherbys Ireland Ltd, the horse registration body, was read into the record. It noted a "bay filly" born on May 12th, 1992, which died in 1993 but said it could not provide duplicate documentation for it.

Mr Bolger complained that the media "had a good laugh about the foal that died that never had a name", but the only thing he felt he was guilty of was not insisting that Mr Dunlop had insurance on the horse. Meanwhile, Leo Fitzgerald, a south Dublin publican, told the Mahon tribunal yesterday that he lent the late Liam Lawlor £15,000 in April 1992.

He said Mr Lawlor told him he was having financial problems and they agreed to exchange cheques. Some weeks later, when Mr Fitzgerald tried to cash Mr Lawlor's postdated cheque, it bounced.

Mr Fitzgerald eventually got his money three years later, after writing to Mr Lawlor's solicitor.