A PROMINENT businessman has told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that he received assistance on planning matters from the former Fianna Fáil chief whip on Dublin county council, the late Patrick Dunne.
Robert (Pino) Harris was giving evidence at the trial of former Dublin assistant county manager George Redmond, who is charged with receiving a bribe in return for purchasing development land.
Mr Harris, who owns a truck distribution business, told the court that Mr Dunne would "do all the planning for us".
"He did a lot of business with my company," Mr Harris told Pauline Walley SC, prosecuting. "If we wanted an extension to a shed or something like that, he would apply for permission with us. He knew how to do all that."
Mr Harris also told the court he sold his farm, Montana Stud, in Ashbourne, Co Meath, to the late husband of Mary Seagrave, the same person who owned the land at Buzzardstown in northwest Dublin on which Mr Redmond issued a compulsory purchase order.
Mr Seagrave bought the home, described by Mr Harris as "a spare house I had", in 1982 after Ms Seagrave agreed to the CPO by Dublin County Council.
Mr Harris said he could not remember how he met Mr Seagrave and denied Mr Dunne was given any money to assist in the sale of the farm.
It was day three of the trial in which Mr Redmond denies receiving £10,000 from Mr Dunne between October 10th, 1985, and June 26th, 1989, as an inducement or reward for doing or forbearing to do anything in respect of the compulsory purchase order.
The jury has heard the CPO on Buzzardstown was issued in 1980 but the land was not purchased until 1985 due to a High Court challenge and disagreement about the price with the owners. The court also heard Mr Redmond initially did not want to complete the order as he felt council finances were over-stretched.
Michael Coleman, a section officer in the council's land acquisition department, told Ms Walley of a meeting he attended with Mr Redmond, Mr Seagrave and Mr Dunne at which Mr Seagrave was upset as the CPO was taking too long to complete and wanted a commitment from the council "to buy or withdraw".
Mr Coleman said Mr Redmond told Mr Seagrave that the council finances were under pressure and it was not currently in a position to purchase the lands due to other commitments.
When Mr Seagrave asked what was the intended purpose of the land, Mr Redmond replied that he was not "in a position to go into that."
Mr Coleman agreed with Brendan Grehan SC, defending, that there would be nothing unusual about Mr Dunne attending the meeting.
"He wasn't from that area but he was an elected member of the county council," Mr Coleman said.
The trial continues.