Developer 'motivated by begrudgery'

MAHON TRIBUNAL: Accusations by the developer Mr Tom Gilmartin are motivated by bitterness and begrudgery arising from his failure to develop Quarryvale, it has been claimed.

Mr Paul Sreenan SC, for a rival developer, Mr Owen O'Callaghan, said Mr Gilmartin was bitter because Mr O'Callaghan had built when he had not, and because Mr O'Callaghan had employed thousands of people, whereas Mr Gilmartin had only spoken of doing so.

Mr Sreenan claimed the witness had destroyed the prospects for Mr O'Callaghan's rival development at Balgaddy, paid "over the odds" for the land at Quarryvale and run up substantial debts with the bank.

He had refused to co-operate with gardaí, had "thrown money" at the former minister, Mr Padraig Flynn, and only agreed to co-operate with the tribunal because of something that happened on television (Mr Flynn's appearance on the Late Late Show).

Mr Gilmartin denied counsel's assertions. He described Mr O'Callaghan as "a cuckoo" and said he took over other developers' sites in Athlone and Limerick when they couldn't advance their projects and then managed to get rezoning "magically".

In response to a claim that he was motivated by "begrudgery", he replied: "You must be joking". He hadn't been motivated by money in what he had done in his life.

Mr Sreenan said Mr Gilmartin had left Ireland with £8 million as a result of his involvement with Quarryvale. In any other country he would have "lost his shirt", but in fact he had left with a reasonable profit.

The witness said Mr O'Callaghan had defrauded him to get control of his company. He had stolen £1.5 million to pay "Mr Frank Dunlop and his likes and the crooked politicians he bought".

Mr Sreenan said the £50,000 Mr Gilmartin paid to Mr Flynn in 1989, which he says was for Fianna Fáil, was a "pretty shady piece of work".

Mr Gilmartin said it wasn't illegal to give a donation to a political party. He had been advised by a number of people that if he didn't pay the money demanded of him by various people a donation to the party might help to curb their activities.

Lawyers for Mr Flynn began their cross-examination of the witness at the end of yesterday's hearing and are due to continue today.