Inquiry hears Lawlor sought €100,000 fee

Mahon Tribunal: Former Fianna Fáil TD Mr Liam Lawlor sought a £100,000 payment, and a separate payment for George Redmond, for his help in advancing plans for a massive shopping centre in west Dublin, Mr Tom Gilmartin told the tribunal.

According to Mr Gilmartin, Mr Lawlor told him he would have to have him \ "on board" as well as "taking care of George", if he wanted his plans for the Quarryvale shopping centre to get anywhere.

He recalled Mr Lawlor bringing him to the first meeting he had with Redmond in May 1988. This took place in Redmond's office on O'Connell Street. After some "chit-chat", he said Redmond opened a desk drawer and handed him a map. This showed the ownership of all the land at Quarryvale. At the time, Mr Gilmartin was trying to acquire land in the area.

"Mr Redmond got up and went over to another desk and he picked up the phone. While he was there, Mr Lawlor told me I would have to give him £100,000. I didn't really comment and he said: 'And you'll have to pay George'."

Mr Gilmartin said he looked over at Redmond who he believed wasn't really on the phone. Redmond had his back "conveniently" to him. He said he gave a non-committal response. After he left, Mr Lawlor told him that if he wanted the project to go anywhere he would have to "take care" of Redmond, as well as having Mr Lawlor on board.

Mr Gilmartin said Redmond never asked him directly for money. He informed other senior council officials at the time about these demands. Redmond has told the tribunal he met Mr Gilmartin with Mr Lawlor in July 1988, but said the meeting was about motorway services.

Later, tribunal lawyers read contemporaneous notes which quoted Mr Lawlor as saying Fianna Fáil ministers Mr Ray MacSharry and Mr Pádraig Flynn told him to "look after" Mr Gilmartin.

The notes taken by property developer Mr Owen O'Callaghan at a meeting in November 1988 quote Mr Lawlor as saying the two ministers preferred that "nothing happened" at nearby Clondalkin, where Mr O'Callaghan was developing a rival shopping centre. They were under the impression that this site was "going nowhere".

In the minutes, Mr Lawlor expressed confidence that Mr Gilmartin would get permission to develop Quarryvale, but told Mr O'Callaghan that "we are in the driving seat". But Mr Gilmartin told the tribunal that Mr Lawlor's claim to be looking after him amounted to "poetic licence".

He described how Mr Lawlor told him shortly after this that "you are going to have to deal with Owen O'Callaghan, whether you like it or not". At this time Mr Gilmartin had assembled the site for the shopping centre at Quarryvale, which was strategically located beside the Galway road and the M50 route. However, Mr O'Callaghan's property at Clondalkin/Neilstown was zoned as the town centre for the area.

According to Mr Gilmartin, Mr Lawlor told him "you'll go nowhere without O'Callaghan. All he has to do is threaten to build it and you'll be there forever". Realising that what Mr Lawlor was saying was the truth, he agreed to meet Mr O'Callaghan.

The two developers met in a Dublin hotel in December 1988. Mr Gilmartin told his rival he would be "mad" to develop Neilstown. It would cost him "a fortune" to provide road access.

"You're going nowhere while we're here," Mr O'Callaghan is said to have replied. Mr O'Callaghan offered to sell his option on Neilstown for £7 million. The two men eventually agreed on a price of £3.5 million.