Redmond denies being on firm's payroll

Former assistant Dublin city and county manager George Redmond has denied being on the payroll of a leading property company after his retirement.

Redmond said there was "absolutely no substance whatsoever" to claims that he worked for Green Property Company following his retirement in 1989. He pointed out that he was very concerned about his health at this time.

However, the former official, who is representing himself at the tribunal, revealed that he had applied for a job with Green Property in 1985.

Property developer Mr Tom Gilmartin had earlier accused Redmond of interfering on behalf of Green Property with his plans to build a massive shopping centre at Quarryvale in west Dublin.

Redmond took on a position with Green Property on his retirement but the company "disposed of him" when the gardaí began investigating allegations of planning corruption, Mr Gilmartin claimed.

Mr Gilmartin admitted to Redmond his allegations were hearsay but said two former colleagues of the retired official had told him about Redmond's involvement with the company.

Earlier, Mr Gilmartin accused Redmond "and his cohorts" of depriving the people of Clondalkin of 20,000 jobs by interfering with his plans for Quarryvale.

This was only "the beginning of the story", he said. Redmond had tipped off a rival property developer, Mr John Corcoran of Green Property, about his plans to buy land from Dublin Corporation, and Mr Corcoran had written a "spurious" letter accusing the Corporation of selling off the land.

Redmond had told the newspapers he was involved in "cosy deals" with the Corporation when this wasn't true, according to Mr Gilmartin.

"You and Liam Lawlor started playing your games when you knew there was no mileage in looking for money off me," he told Redmond.

Green Property had been talking about building a shopping centre in Blanchardstown "for years and years" but nothing had happened in Blanchardstown or in Tallaght until the Quarryvale project started, Mr Gilmartin claimed.

The tribunal has heard that Mr Gilmartin had agreed to acquire land at Quarryvale from the Corporation for £40,000 an acre but had to pay about twice this amount after being forced to buy it by public tender. Yesterday he claimed Redmond accused his colleagues of doing "crooked deals" with the developer and of "kicking up a stink" to frustrate his plans.

However, Redmond said the eventual terms agreed were "infinitely better" for the local authority, with an 80 per cent increase in the amount it received.

The price Mr Gilmartin paid was close to the value placed on the land by independent valuers.

But Mr Gilmartin accused Redmond of "deliberately interfering" in the deal. "The indications from you and Liam Lawlor was that I could have had it for £20,000 an acre if I took you on board." Mr Gilmartin said he complained to the gardaí after an aborted meeting with Redmond on February 22nd, 1989. On this occasion, he had arrived with a team of engineers for a meeting in Dublin county council, only to be told by Redmond there was no meeting.

He said Redmond ordered him out of his office in the council. Aware that something was "radically wrong", he rang the assistant city manager, Mr Seán Haughey, who told him he knew about "George's tricks".

The meeting was rearranged for the afternoon of the same day.