Joe Burke denies he solicited £500,000 for Ahern

CHAIRMAN OF Dublin Port Company Joe Burke has denied asking Luton-based developer Tom Gilmartin for £500,000 on behalf of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

Mr Burke, who was a councillor at Dublin Corporation from 1985 to 1991, told the Mahon tribunal the allegation made by Mr Gilmartin was outrageous. He had never solicited money on behalf of Mr Ahern and had never been asked to, he said.

Mr Gilmartin had told the tribunal that Mr Burke came to see him at his office on St Stephen's Green in September 1990. They were discussing his Quarryvale project when Mr Burke mentioned a figure of £500,000.

Mr Gilmartin said he initially thought Mr Burke was referring to a deposit he paid for land he bought from Dublin Corporation, but then Mr Burke referred to the "big bucks" he would make from the Quarryvale project.

He told Mr Gilmartin he could trust Mr Ahern, who was then minister for labour, and asked if he would not be prepared to pay the money because Mr Ahern was looking after him, Mr Gilmartin claimed.

Mr Gilmartin had also said Mr Burke offered to drive him to Dublin airport for his flight home to Luton and said he would bring him to Mr Ahern on the way.

He said Mr Burke drove him to Fagan's pub in Drumcondra in a pick-up truck and then on to the Beaumont House pub, but Mr Ahern was not in either place.

Mr Gilmartin said he was very anxious at that stage that he would miss his flight and he had to insist Mr Burke brought him to the airport.

He said when he reached the airport he told Mr Burke: "This is a great little country, isn't it?"

Counsel for the tribunal Pat Quinn SC said that at the time, Mr Burke was a trustee of St Luke's, Mr Ahern's constituency office in Drumcondra, and was chairman of St Luke's house committee. He was also involved in election fundraising and was a signatory to one of the Fianna Fáil constituency accounts with Mr Ahern.

He asked Mr Burke how he decided who he would speak to when he was fundraising.

Mr Burke said he would contact some of the businessmen in the constituency. Mr Quinn pointed out that Mr Gilmartin was a developer working in the constituency at the time. "I wouldn't have known enough to know whether he had a reputation as a developer or not . . ." Mr Burke said.

He said he recalled having one meeting with Mr Gilmartin, which he now regretted, but he could not date it. "I can't remember what exactly transpired, the only thing I do remember clearly, that when I arrived he apologised that he couldn't even offer me a cup of tea because his secretary was on an afternoon off," Mr Burke said.

He said he thought the discussion with Mr Gilmartin was about his plans for Bachelors Walk, which included a shopping centre with a bus depot on the second floor.

Mr Quinn asked Mr Burke if he had a pick-up truck at his disposal at the time. "We did have a truck, but it wasn't a pick-up. And I certainly didn't drive it to the airport," he replied.

He said that the truck was an 18-foot Dodge, which a person would have to pull themselves up into. However, he said he lived near the airport and it wouldn't be unusual for him to drive someone there, though he did not recall driving Mr Gilmartin.

Mr Quinn asked him if it was possible that he did bring Mr Gilmartin to see Mr Ahern.

"I was one of the few people who had access to the then minister for labour's mobile phone and I didn't have to drive around the city like a headless chicken looking for him," Mr Burke said.

Mr Quinn also told the tribunal that Mr Ahern had denied directly or indirectly requesting money from Mr Gilmartin or asking Mr Burke to make such a request.