Businessman says he bribed Redmond

A former car salesman gave the former assistant Dublin city and county manager, Mr George Redmond, £10,000 in a brown envelope, a court was told yesterday. The payment was in exchange for lucrative access between a petrol station and a busy dual carriageway, the court heard.

The allegation was heard on the opening day of the trial of Mr Redmond (79) at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in relation to corruption charges over a strip of land in the Palmerstown area of Dublin.

The former Fianna Fáil TD Mr Liam Lawlor is also due to be called to give evidence during the trial which is expected to last up to three weeks.

Mr Brendan Fassnidge, a car salesman, who planned to build an Esso garage on land adjacent to the dual carriageway in Palmerstown, said he was unable to get right of access between the roadway and the planned garage.

Instead, he said, over a glass of wine at his home in Castleknock, Dublin, in 1988, he gave Mr Redmond £10,000 in cash to entice him to provide the right of access.

Mr Fassnidge said that while he had planning permission for the garage, it was dependent on him obtaining right of access to the dual carriageway and he approached Mr Redmond because "there was no other way" of securing it.

"He had a glass of wine in the house, I remember that, and left. I picked up the planning permission about three days later in O'Connell Street at reception [of the council headquarters]," he said. Mr Fassnidge also said he had earlier approached the then Fianna Fáil TD for the area, Mr Liam Lawlor, to assess how much it would cost to obtain right of way to the land from the council.

Both men went to the valuation office in Dublin Corporation, where they were told it would cost €30,000 for the right of way.

Under questioning by Mr Redmond's defence counsel, Mr Brendan Grehan SC, it emerged that planning permission for the land on which Mr Fassnidge planned to build a garage had been secured through the intervention of councillors, including Mr Liam Lawlor.

The court heard there was opposition from planning officials regarding plans for a garage on the busy roadway, which they regarded as potentially hazardous.

However, Mr Lawlor proposed a Section 4 motion at the council, which allows councillors to overrule the city or county manager.

The result was that planning permission was given for a garage on condition that a right of way be secured to the roadway.

Mr Fassnidge said he had no knowledge of Mr Lawlor's involvement in helping to secure planning permission for the land and said he did not own it at the time of the motion.

The former car salesman explained it was owned by an old friend, Mr Bill Riordan, a developer.

Despite not owning the land, the original application for planning permission for a garage was in Mr Fassnidge's name, the court heard.

Mr Fassnidge said Mr Riordan asked him to apply for planning permission for the land as "he had vibes" that Mr Fassnidge, a local, could obtain it.

After the planning permission was secured following the Section 4 motion, Mr Fassnidge bought the land from Mr Riordan in 1987 or 1988 for €250,000, he said.

Mr Redmond is facing two charges of involvement in corrupt transactions relating to the land at Palmerstown. He has denied the charges.

Mr Redmond's defence counsel said he would show that Mr Fassnidge paid £10,000 in a cheque to the county council and not Mr Redmond.

Almost 50 witnesses are due to be called during the trial.

They will include the former Dublin city and county manager Mr Frank Feely and the head of the Criminal Assets Bureau, Mr Felix McKenna.

Mr Justice White told the jury they may have read media coverage or discussed the case surrounding Mr Redmond but, like all accused people, he was presumed innocent before the court.