Claims of buying councillors 'rubbish'

Former Monarch Properties executive Richard Lynn has dismissed as absolute rubbish a claim that he told public relations consultant Bill O'Herlihy that councillors had to be bought to get planning applications through Dublin County Council.

Mr Lynn also rejected an allegation by a second PR consultant employed by Monarch, Frank Dunlop, that he complained about "idiot" councillors who were "costing" the company so much.

Asked why two unrelated PR consultants were making these allegations about him, Mr Lynn said he could offer no explanation.

In his evidence last month, Mr O'Herlihy said he met Mr Lynn in the Royal Dublin Hotel while the council was voting on the rezoning of Monarch's land at Cherrywood in south Dublin.

At the time, the company had engaged him to lobby for the rezoning. Mr Lynn told him councillors had to be bought to get a planning change through and indicated Monarch had spent £100,000 on councillors.

Yesterday, Mr Lynn said this was "totally, absolutely incorrect . . . that statement is total rubbish".

These comments could not have been made by anyone with an ounce of knowledge about the planning system.

"I never had that conversation or any like conversation with him or anyone else," Mr Lynn said. However, he accepted that Mr O'Herlihy was not fabricating evidence and that he was simply mistaken in his recollection.

Mr Lynn said he had remained in the public gallery of the council chamber throughout the meeting in May 1992 and never went to the Royal Dublin.

He could not afford to leave his seat in the gallery as if he did, it would be taken.

"There's as much chance of the chairman doing a walkabout in this tribunal as there was of me leaving a debate at the council in which Monarch was involved," he said.

After this attempt to rezone Cherrywood failed, Mr O'Herlihy's involvement with Monarch ended.

In 1993, the company engaged Mr Dunlop and Cherrywood was rezoned later that year.

In his evidence, Mr Dunlop said Mr Lynn told him: "When you think about the amount of money being spent, you would think these idiots would get their act together."

Mr Lynn also told him the councillors were "costing too much".

Yesterday, Mr Lynn said this was completely incorrect. There was no necessity for the conversation as described by Mr Dunlop.

He felt Mr Dunlop was not doing any work on the project and was not adding anything to their efforts to get the land rezoned.

Mr Lynn said he was never approached by a councillor or official for an untoward payment and he had no knowledge of rumours of bribes paid to councillors.