THERE was no evidence that Mr Lowry received monies from Mr Ben Dunne in return for political favours, the chairman of the Dunnes payments tribunal said yesterday. Giving evidence for the third day, Mr Lowry said there had been an insinuation and the inference that led to the tribunal, being set up that Mr Dunne constructed his house for political favours.
However, the evidence was otherwise and he believed the tribunal could only find that the construction work was in return for refrigeration work and services rendered to the company. That was the issue when he had made his Dail statement last December and that was why he had had to resign as a minister.
The chairman, Mr Justice McCracken, said the issue was that Mr Lowry may have received monies through Mr Dunne or
Dunnes Stores for political favours. "To be quite clear, that issue is not really being pursued here because there's no evidence," he added. However, he asked Mr Lowry if he did not think he should have disclosed to the Dail all of the monies he had received from Mr Dunne, "because wasn't that very relevant indeed?"
The witness replied that, first of all, he had made his statement to the Dail in a voluntary way, and was not forced or obliged to do it. He felt he should make the statement to answer the criticisms that had been made over his house and the items that had been leaked from the Price Waterhouse report.
Also, it had taken himself and his professional advisers months to provide the kind of detail the tribunal had now. "I wouldn't have had it at my finger tips at that kind of notice." He had also stated at the end of his Dail statement that he would co-operate fully with any further investigation into his business affairs, and he had done that.