FF man was 'in disbelief' over £50,000 cheque

The National Organiser of Fianna Fáil was "in disbelief" when he heard Mr Padraig Flynn was given a £50,000 cheque by Mr Tom Gilmartin, the Mahon tribunal heard today.

Mr Sean Sherwin said he was first introduced to Mr Gilmartin in early 1990 by developer Mr Con Scallon. He said they had a 1½ hour meeting, during which Mr Gilmartin recounted his problems in securing zoning and planning for his projects in Quarryvale and Bachelor's Walk.

He said Mr Gilmartin told him he had given a cheque for £50,000 to the then minister for the environment, Mr Padraig Flynn. This, he said, would have been a "very, very significant" amount of money to receive at a time when the average political donation was one or two thousand pounds.

Mr Sherwin told the tribunal he was "in disbelief" when he heard about the cheque. He was of the opinion that - if the cheque existed at all - it had been intended for the party as he never suspected it would have been kept by Mr Flynn, who was joint treasurer of the party at the time.

The only person he told about the cheque was the Fianna Fáil fundraiser, Mr Paul Kavanagh. He said he was confident his colleague would have raised the matter with the then party leader, Mr Charles Haughey and would also trawl through the party records. When Mr Kavanagh told him there was no record of the money making its way into the party coffers, he assumed Mr Gilmartin was lying.

Judge Alan Mahon said the fact Mr Sherwin continued to deal with Mr Gilmartin, rather than cut him off for making "unfounded allegations" of bribery against his party, was surprising. But Mr Sherwin said he wanted to help Mr Gilmartin because the Sligo-born developer was trying to do some good for Ireland and was risking £4 million of his own money to create jobs in Dublin. Even if he was angry or annoyed at the allegations, he "certainly wasn't going to be un-Christian to the man".

Mr Gilmartin has claimed Mr Sherwin "did not express any surprise" when he told him of the £50,000, but rather asked him for another donation. However, Mr Sherwin said this would have been an "extraordinary" thing to do, and flatly denied asking for any money.

Mr Sherwin also said Mr Gilmartin told him Mr Liam Lawlor had "gate-crashed" a meeting in London of Arlington, the company financing a massive complex at Bachelor's Walk, Dublin 1. Mr Gilmartin was "quite shocked" at this intrusion, he said.

He said Mr Gilmartin told him Arlington had agreed to pay "three or four thousand pounds a month" to the former Dublin West TD in consultant's fees. "I got the impression that it wasn't Tom's choice, it was Arlington's choice," said Mr Sherwin.

He insisted he believed there was "nothing untoward" about Mr Lawlor being paid consultant's fees, given his considerable experience and expertise in planning matters. His only surprise was that Mr Lawlor, who was based in West Dublin, should be involved in a city centre scheme.

Mr Sherwin said Mr Gilmartin's main complaint was about Mr Lawlor "pushing himself on the Arlington development". He was under the impression the former TD was not involved in Quarryvale.

Mr Gilmartin also told him about meeting Cllr Finbarr Hanrahan in Buswell's Hotel where the councillor demanded £100,000 in return for his support in rezoning votes. The demand was refused. Mr Sherwin says he was "astounded" and "shocked" at the claim.

When asked by Mr John Gallagher, SC for the tribunal, why he didn't contact the gardaí or advise Mr Gilmartin to do so, Mr Sherwin said he wasn't "at all certain" that Mr Gilmartin was telling the truth and it would be a matter of Mr Gilmartin's word against Mr Hanrahan's.

He insisted he was not aware of any rumours or allegations of corruption within the planning process in Dublin at the time.

Mr Sherwin continues his evidence tomorrow morning. He will be followed by the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan.