Change of evidence on Monarch donations

Former Fianna Fáil councillor Betty Coffey has changed her evidence to the tribunal after it emerged she received £4,000 in donations from Frank Dunlop and two developers.

In acknowledging that she got £1,000 from Mr Dunlop in 1992, Ms Coffey becomes the latest politician who, it has been shown, failed to disclose political donations to her party inquiry.

She also failed to disclose the payment when giving evidence to the tribunal on a previous occasion, but yesterday, after Mr Dunlop provided the inquiry with her "thank you" letter, Ms Coffey accepted she had made a mistake in an earlier statement.

"I was wrong and I admit I was wrong," she told the tribunal.

She also revealed she had written to Fianna Fáil to say she had discovered a previously undisclosed £1,000 cheque from Monarch Properties in 1992.

Mr Dunlop has told the tribunal he gave her another £1,000 in 1991 and developer Seán Dunne says he gave £1,000 in the same year, it emerged yesterday, but Ms Coffey said she had no recollection of these payments.

She stated: "I never received anything of a personal nature from a developer. Anything I got was a contribution to my election campaign. I never personally got any money from anyone."

At the Fianna Fáil inquiry in 2000, Ms Coffey indicated her "dismay" at Mr Dunlop's revelations and "the manner in which they reflected on councillors who, like herself, had dedicated themselves to public service and who were never motivated by personal gain".

She said Mr Dunlop had given her constituency organisation £250 and added that she had never received a personal donation from Mr Dunlop or any developer.

Yesterday, she said she accepted Mr Dunlop had given her £1,000 in 1992. Monarch's contribution was for the general election campaign; "a contribution for the general election is not what I would consider personal".

Patricia Dillon SC, for the tribunal, pointed out that Ms Coffey had told the Fianna Fáil inquiry she had received no payments "for election expenses or otherwise".

As for the £1,000 from Mr Dunlop in 1991, she did not remember it and had no records.

At the time she gave evidence to the tribunal in the Carrickmines module in 2003, it was her belief that she had not received any money from the lobbyist.

"If you're asking me did I lie, I didn't lie," she told Ms Dillon. "If you're asking me to change it for the record, well I will change it."

In addition to its £1,000 donation to Ms Coffey, Monarch says it gave £1,000 for a St Patrick's Day fundraiser in her constituency in 1994 and £1,300 to a similar lunch in 1996.

Ms Coffey said Monarch's political contribution to her in 1992 had no influence on her decision to vote for the rezoning of the company's land at Cherrywood a year later. She rejected Ms Dillon's contention that there had been a radical change in her stance on the issue over time.

Earlier, former Fianna Fáil councillor Colm McGrath rejected an allegation that he demanded a bribe to support the rezoning of Cherrywood. He "totally refuted" the claim by Frank Dunlop that he told the lobbyist "it will cost you" for his support.

Mr Dunlop has alleged he paid £2,000 each in cash to Mr McGrath and councillor Tony Fox to vote for the rezoning motion in 1993. Mr Fox also denies the allegation.

Mr McGrath said he was generally pro-development and agreed he was an enthusiastic supporter of the Cherrywood rezoning. He recalled being lobbied by Mr Dunlop and by Monarch executives.

Monarch's records show it gave Mr McGrath £2,600 in political donations in five payments between 1991 and 1999.