Ex minister to co operate with Revenue Commissioners

MR Michael Lowry has said he will answer questions about the Dunnes Stores affair "when I'm ready" and not according to a timetable set by anybody else.

In an interview on RTE's Liveline programme yesterday, he said he would first have to decide what level of information he could "put into the public arena", but he stressed he would be cooperating fully with the Revenue Commissioners.

Mr Lowry said he was frustrated and annoyed at Opposition suggestions of corruption or favouritism in his relationship with Dunnes Stores. He had a long term business relationship with Dunnes and was paid for providing refrigeration equipment and professional design and advice "nothing less, nothing more."

Asked if he dined out or played golf with Dunne family members, he said it was a business rather than a personal relationship.

Defending his decision to defer explanations of the transaction involving the renovation of his home, he said that there were very complex issues involved. No matter what answers he gave, the media would not be satisfied, unless he had an accountant with him at every interview.

"Business transactions can be complex at times, but there's nothing wrong with them being complex if they're legitimate, and all my business contacts with Dunnes Stores and everybody else are totally legitimate."

The transactions predated his appointment as minister, he added. "I have done absolutely nothing wrong as far as my ministerial responsibility is concerned. My company affairs are matters to be dealt with by the appropriate authority."

He had "never had any difficulty whatsoever" with the Revenue Commissioners. "Like any other company or any other individual, I have to abide by the rules and regulations of the Revenue Commissioners and I am prepared like everybody else to cooperate fully with them. What I'm doing at the moment is assessing and evaluating my transactions with Dunnes Stores.

He said he had resigned for the sake of the Government and his, business. "I've effectively taken the hit in the best interests of the Government, and I'm quite satisfied that I've made the right decision."

He also had to take into account that politics was a volatile business. I could be in or out of power after the next election. I have a big number of people employed in my business and they depend on it for their livelihood. My family depend on the business for their future. So I had to take into account the impact any disclosures would have on that business."

To explain the transaction satisfactorily, he "would have to state clearly all of the arrangements that I have with Dunnes Stores, which would give a huge advantage to my competitors...

"And apart from looking after the interests of my own company I have to respect the fact that I'm doing business with a private company. And I'm not prepared to embroil a private company's affairs in what is effectively a political issue."

Mr Lowry criticised the intensity of media interest in his home since the story broke. "I had three helicopter visits to look at the house and to take aerial photographs. I had numerous photographers around the house. They come on to your private property.

Asked if the house in Holycross was owned by him personally or by the business, he said: "My home is my home and my business is my business and I own both of them."

On reports that he had not secured planning permission for work carried out on the house, he said he had believed permission was not necessary.

"At the slide of the house there was an old building and my understanding from the architects at the time was that planning permission was not required because there was an existing building which was demolished ... obviously if there's planning permission required, I would instruct him (the architect) to go for retention permission."