Dunlop enjoyed 'friendly' Ahern relationship

Former lobbyist Frank Dunlop told the Mahon tribunal yesterday that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern may have decided against officially opening the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre in November 1998 because "it was not appropriate" to be seen there.

He said he had direct access to Bertie Ahern while he was minister for finance and Taoiseach, and their relationship was "straightforward, friendly and co-operative". They had ongoing contact related to Mr Dunlop's clients, he said.

"Bertie would go out of his way to facilitate any requests I made of him," he said.

Mr Dunlop resumed giving evidence in the Quarryvale II module after a break of six weeks due to illness.

He said he normally made any requests directly through Mr Ahern's office. However, when he asked that Mr Ahern officially open the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre at Quarryvale with the Duke of Westminster in the autumn of 1998, there were "indications" of difficulties, he said. At the time, Mr Dunlop was working for Mr O'Callaghan to promote the shopping centre in west Dublin.

Mr Dunlop said he then made the request in writing through former Fianna Fáil fundraiser Des Richardson. Mr Ahern agreed initially, but later turned it down.

The tribunal had heard that Mr Ahern said he turned down the invitation because the date was changed and no longer suited his schedule.

But Mr Dunlop said that, although it was never explained, it was obvious to him that Mr Ahern had decided it was not appropriate to be seen opening the shopping centre. He said that if you had to call the Taoiseach's office a third time in relation to an event, "you may well think there may be a difficulty there".

He said he met the Duke of Westminster at Dublin airport with Mr O'Callaghan, and the Duke was becoming impatient about the launch. Mr Dunlop said he gave him a political response - that they "were doing everything in our power" to make sure Mr Ahern attended the launch.

Counsel for the tribunal, Patricia Dillon SC, said the tribunal had been established to look into corruption in planning in 1997, and in October 1998 an article had appeared in a newspaper linking the rezoning of Quarryvale with payments to Mr Dunlop.

She said the issue was by then a "political hot potato".

Mr Dunlop said that in political circles, the tribunal was "regarded as something of a joke" at the time.

Obliterated entries in Mr Dunlop's diaries were also examined. Ms Dillon told the tribunal that the diaries had been forensically analysed and some of the blocked out writing was legible.

An entry for November 10th, 1993, read "GH 5724688" and was beside an entry of a meeting with Mr O'Callaghan, the tribunal was told. However, when it was forensically examined, the GH entry had been written over "LL 1½, 1 ready, ½ cheque".

The note referred to a payment to the late Liam Lawlor of £1,500, Mr Dunlop said, while the meeting with Mr O'Callaghan was in relation to Quarryvale. Ms Dillon said it was "spectacularly obvious" that the reason the Lawlor entry was overwritten was to hide it from the tribunal.

She suggested that Mr Dunlop may have done so to distance Mr O'Callaghan from a record of a payment to Mr Lawlor. Mr Dunlop rejected the suggestion.

An entry for May 1998 detailing a payments arrangement between Mr O'Callaghan and Mr Dunlop was also obliterated, the tribunal was told. When it was examined it appeared to show that Mr Dunlop was to be paid £600,000 or £100,000 initially and was to be paid an additional £100,000 at a later stage.

Mr Dunlop said he was to be paid a success fee of £500,000 if the restriction on the size of the development at Quarryvale was lifted by councillors. But he said he did not remember writing the obliterated note and could not say why he blocked it out.