Flynn saw nothing wrong in accepting #50,000

Former EU commissioner Mr Pádraig Flynn has said he saw nothing wrong with his acceptance of £50,000 from developer Mr Tom Gilmartin and would do the same again if the circumstances arose.

Mr Flynn also told the tribunal he had no concern about the fact that the cheque he got from Mr Gilmartin in 1989 was made out to cash. Describing the meeting at which Mr Gilmartin made the payment, Mr Flynn said he believed it took place on May 23rd in Leinster House.

Mr Gilmartin has told the tribunal that the meeting took place in June at the then minister for environment's office in the Custom House in Dublin.

According to Mr Flynn, there was some "brief comment" about the impending election before Mr Gilmartin said he intended to make a contribution.

"Mr Gilmartin came to see me and he had a cheque with him and he gave it to me. I looked at it and at first I thought it was £5,000. I told him there was no need for that. Then I looked again and I saw it was for £50,000. I explained to him there was absolutely no need for that." Mr Flynn said he specifically asked Mr Gilmartin whether the cheque was intended for Fianna Fáil, but the developer replied that it was for him, for his political campaign.

He told Mr Gilmartin he had done nothing for him and could do nothing for him. There could be no strings attached to any political contribution he made. "He thanked me and that was it."

"He thanked you? You didn't thank him?" asked Ms Patricia Dillon SC, for the tribunal, to laughter from the public gallery.

Mr Flynn said he presumed he did thank Mr Gilmartin.

Ms Dillon asked whether it hadn't occurred to Mr Flynn to ask Mr Gilmartin to make the cheque out in his name instead of to cash.

Mr Flynn said that was a matter for Mr Gilmartin. He had no concerns about accepting a cheque made out to cash.

He said he didn't record the receipt of the cheque anywhere and he didn't show the cheque to anyone other than his wife, Dorothy. He gave her the cheque but didn't disclose the source.

Asked whether he had any reluctance about accepting such a large sum of money from someone with whom he was in contact about business developments, Mr Flynn said he hadn't. Mr Gilmartin wasn't asking him to do anything in relation to his development at Bachelors Walk or anything else. He asked nothing for the payment, and that was understood by both of them.

Judge Alan Mahon said the "whole purpose" of Mr Gilmartin's contact with Mr Flynn was to promote his projects with a government minister. He wasn't a friend or associate of Mr Flynn's, or even an Irish resident. Did Mr Flynn not see anything odd or peculiar or wrong in taking £50,000 from someone in that capacity, or think that it might be perceived in this way? Mr Flynn said he didn't.

"If you were in that position now and someone came to you and there was no question of a tribunal, would you have a different view or do the same," Judge Mahon asked.

"I think I'd do the same," the witness replied.

Mr Flynn said he never kept a note of any of his meetings with Mr Gilmartin. None of his civil servants attended these meetings.

Asked why this was so, he said the meetings took place in Leinster House on busy sitting days. The civil servants were based in the departmental offices and his private secretary would be busy during these days.

All his meetings with Mr Gilmartin were "very pleasant", he said. The developer might have had some complaints about delays in his projects but he never went into detail. "He was never an angry Mr Gilmartin in the meetings I had with him. He was friendly and positive. I have only good memories of my meetings with Tom Gilmartin."