Dunlop says he paid bribes to councillors on 250 occasions

The lobbyist Frank Dunlop has said he paid bribes to councillors on about 250 occasions.

Under cross-examination at the Mahon tribunal yesterday, Mr Dunlop said he had made payments to councillors in relation to about 20 particular rezonings in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

He said that between a dozen and 15 councillors had received payments regularly. Mr Dunlop also maintained that, in relation to rezoning motions, councillors "did not give a fig" about jobs or employment creation.

Asked by senior counsel Bill Shipsey as to whether there were 200 to 300 instances where he had bribed councillors in respect of rezonings, the lobbyist replied that this was correct.

He later said that, broadly speaking, there had been about 250 instances of bribes being paid.

Mr Shipsey, who was representing two members of the Cargobridge consortium, Stephen Fitzgerald and PJ Cousins, said his clients maintained Mr Dunlop had been retained to lobby the Department of Transport on a right of way to their land near the airport and specifically not in relation to rezoning the site.

He said the consortium had already carried out extensive canvassing of councillors on the issue of the rezoning and believed they had this in the bag before Mr Dunlop was brought on board.

Mr Shipsey also said his clients would take issue with Mr Dunlop's claim that he had received £12,500 from the consortium. They maintain he received £3,000.

He said Mr Dunlop wanted to be known as the "whistle-blower of all whistlerblowers".

Mr Dunlop said that although he did care about the tribunal's report, he did not wake up at night wondering whether it would be favourable.