Mr George Redmond provided a four-page statement to the tribunal yesterday containing information about a builder and elaborating on the information he gave about money he received. There were occasions when he met the builder when no money was given, but at other meetings he was given £6,000 to £7,000. Mr Desmond O'Neill SC, for the tribunal, asked when the builder had paid him money. Would it have been in 1987?
Mr Redmond said he had no recollection of 1987. He received monies in 1988/89.
Asked who contacted whom, Mr Redmond said it would be impossible for him to recollect. It was more likely that the builder came to him. He did not recall any major problem with the company. "Regarding any of the matters, I can't remember any of them. I would be expecting you perhaps to produce files."
Mr O'Neill said there were meetings at which he did not receive payments and others when he did. He received £6,000 to £7,000 on each occasion. Would that not have made an impact on his memory?
"At this juncture, I'd be only too happy to be specific, but I can't", Mr Redmond said.
He was trying to envisage developments the builder was involved in, but he could not remember any specific problems relating to them. "I know if I give evidence in this vein, His Worship thinks I'm holding back, but I'm not", Mr Redmond said.
Mr O'Neill said Mr Redmond thought he might have met this individual after 1985 and up to 1989 and that he had been dealing with him at meetings at which some monies didn't pass and when some did. "You received £20,000 between 1988 and until your retirement in 1989, and payments were in the form of cash and [were] represented by two or three payments during the period."
Counsel said that the payments were made at meetings in the offices of Dublin County Council in O'Connell Street and nobody else was present. But Mr Redmond had no recollection of where the monies went.
Mr Redmond said: "Ultimately, they would have gone through to my bank account."
Mr O'Neill said that these payments would have been put in with other monies.
Mr Redmond: "It wasn't possible to identify the individual payments. Some I could have retained for a year, longer even."