Elusive businessman Kennedy summoned to appear

Mr Jim Kennedy, the elusive businessman at the centre of bribery allegations under investigation by the Flood Tribunal, has been summoned to appear before the tribunal at 2 p.m. today.

Mr Kennedy, who is an associate of former Fianna Fáil TD Mr Liam Lawlor, and former assistant Dublin county manager, Mr George Redmond, has not co-operated with the tribunal and is not expected to attend. The former publican, amusement-arcade owner and land speculator lives in the Isle of Man and also maintains an address in Gibraltar.

He has divested himself of ownership of most of his Irish businesses and holds the rest in complex offshore trusts. Mr Kennedy (55), who hails from Abbeyleix, Co Laois, has told the tribunal he has renounced his Irish citizenship and is now a "British subject".

He has denied any involvement in the matters the tribunal is investigating and says he wants to maintain his privacy and stay abroad.

It is unclear what action the tribunal can take if Mr Kennedy fails to turn up as ordered today.

It could seek to have him prosecuted for hindering and obstructing its work, but this might be difficult to enforce unless Mr Kennedy returns to Ireland.

The Criminal Assets Bureau is currently investigating Mr Kennedy's affairs but it is not clear what action they have taken.

His wife Antoinette, who maintains an Irish address and is a director of the amusement arcade operated by Mr Kennedy for many years, is scheduled to give evidence to the tribunal tomorrow.

She also denies any knowledge of the matters under investigation.

Mr Kennedy is the co-owner of 106 acres of land at Carrickmines, which is held in the name of an English company, Jackson Way.

The tribunal is investigating allegations that councillors were bribed to secure the rezoning of the company's land. Mr Frank Dunlop, the lobbyist who has made the allegations, is also scheduled to begin his evidence tomorrow, two and a half years after he first made his sensational claims at the tribunal.

Yesterday at the tribunal, the former manager of Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown county council, Mr Kevin O'Sullivan, denied there had been a lack of leadership provided for councillors on planning matters.

Mr O'Sullivan told the tribunal that councillors had been given a substantial amount of advice and reports as well as advice to help them carry out their statutory duties.

There was a perception that the planners were against "everything" that was proposed for rezoning; in fact, they only objected where this was appropriate.

A report presented to the council in 1990 which claimed there was a serious shortage of industrial zoned land was misleading, Mr O'Sullivan conceded.

He said the report's claim to base its argument on the contents of working papers "didn't stand up". In fact, these papers said there was ample industrial and residential zoned land in the region. Mr O'Sullivan presented the report to the council but the planning department drew it up for him, he said. He had no recollection now of any discussions taking place in relation to the report.

A number of county councillors who are under investigation by the tribunal have cited the 1990 report as a reason for supporting the controversial rezoning of land owned by Paisley Park in Carrickmines in 1992.

However, Mr O'Sullivan said his report "died" when the council itself decided on a different policy in December 1990.

He said he had no knowledge of any proposals, requests or representations by landowners in the Carrickmines Valley which were reflected in or had an influence on the map that was prepared in 1990.

The IDA had made a case for additional industrial land to be zoned strategically along the route of the motorway.

At this time the "dark Satanic mills" of old industry were being replaced by inward investment as the economy started to take off.