Fox admits to giving incorrect donation details

THE FLOOD TRIBUNAL: A Fianna Fáil councillor, Mr Tony Fox, has admitted giving incorrect information to his party's inquiry into political funding three years ago.

Mr Fox told the inquiry that the largest political contribution he ever received was £500. Yesterday, he told the tribunal he received a payment of £600 during the local elections in 1991, and £1,000 when he sought a nomination for the general election in 1992.

Both contributions came from Monarch Properties.

Mr Fox is the second councillor to admit giving incorrect information about payments from the lobbyist Mr Frank Dunlop to a party inquiry into allegations of planning corruption.

Earlier this week, former senator Mr Liam Cosgrave said he failed to declare, or under-estimated payments, to a Fine Gael inquiry held in 2000.

Mr Fox, a councillor for Dundrum since 1985 and a former cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire/ Rathdown County Council, told the Fianna Fáil inquiry in the same year that he never received any money from Mr Dunlop. He still says he got no money from Mr Dunlop.

Mr Dunlop has told the tribunal he made two payments totalling £7,000 to Mr Fox in the 1990s in return for his vote on the rezoning of land at Carrickmines in south Dublin.

He also alleges the two men conspired to give false information to the tribunal by saying that the payments were legitimate contributions made at election times.

Mr Pat Quinn SC, for the tribunal, said the information Mr Fox gave the Fianna Fáil inquiry was incorrect.

The witness said he didn't recall the payments at the time. He thought the inquiry was dealing only with the local elections.

Mr Quinn pointed out that the £1,000 payment Mr Fox received was 10 times larger than any other payment he received.

He asked when Mr Fox became aware of allegations of corruption in Dublin planning.

Mr Fox said he wasn't aware of any allegations until after the tribunal started in 1997.

He told counsel he wasn't aware of criticism of the activities of Dublin councillors by the then minister for the environment, Mr Smith, in 1993, or of a series of articles on the matter in The Irish Times in the same year.

He denied a series of Mr Dunlop's allegations put to him by tribunal counsel, saying "That never happened" and "I never got any money from Mr Dunlop".

Asked why Mr Dunlop would have made the allegations against him, Mr Fox said he had no opinion on such a matter.

In his statement to the tribunal, he maintained there was no whip system in operation on Dublin county council. Developers, landowners and lobbyists had no role at council meetings.

He said he was very surprised that Mr Smith hadn't taken action if he had evidence of wrongdoing, particularly as he was the minister with the appropriate powers to do so.

"I have neither solicited, received or was offered monies or other benefits in return for my support for a planning development or review," he stated.

Mr Dunlop's diaries contain at least 12 references to meeting or other contacts with Mr Fox.

However, the witness said yesterday he only arranged to meet Mr Dunlop on five occasions.

His evidence continues today.