Witness says he saw cash delivery

A former Fianna Fail councillor claimed he witnessed a delivery of £60,000 in cash to the offices of Mr Ray Burke when Mr Burke was chairman of Dublin County Council in 1986.

Mr James Geraghty, a self-employed businessman living in Rush, Co Dublin, said he was in Mr Burke's office in the county council to discuss a planning matter. A well-dressed man in his 30s came into the office carrying a sports bag, which he left on the desk. Mr Burke then dismissed Mr Geraghty, who left for the Fianna Fail offices down the corridor.

Mr Geraghty realised he had forgotten his briefcase and returned to Mr Burke's office to get it. On entering the room, he saw the bag was open. It was full of money, probably £20 notes, ordered in bundles. The unidentified man referred to a figure of "60". Mr Burke dismissed the man, who left.

"I said: `That's an awful lot of money'," Mr Geraghty recalled. Mr Burke said it was a development levy. "They won't like it upstairs," the witness recalled Mr Burke as saying, in reference to the money being in cash. Mr Geraghty then left the room.

In late 1986 or 1987 Mr Geraghty was again in Mr Burke's office when someone came in with a black plastic bag, which he left on a table. The man asked Mr Burke if he wanted to "check that". Mr Burke said he didn't and the man left.

Mr Geraghty said he could not see any money but added that the bag "looked like a bag that could have bundles of money, or could be anything". It was not as big as the bag used on the previous occasion.

Mr Geraghty said both incidents occurred when Mr Burke was chairman of the council, between 1985 and 1987. He discussed the first incident with a fellow councillor shortly after it happened. The conversation was "not in the context of there being any wrongdoing, but in the context of large sums of cash being handled".

The councillor, a Fianna Fail member, now deceased, questioned him on the details of the incident.

A week later, Mr Geraghty said, Mr Burke called him into his office to "berate" him for discussing something that happened in his office with someone outside. "He seemed in a bad mood. He came over very strong on me," the witness recalled.

Mr Geraghty said he was taken aback and tried to explain. However, Mr Burke got more annoyed. He said: "If I ever hear another word about it again, you will never stand on a Fianna Fail ticket again. I will see that you're never elected again."

Mr Burke then allegedly said: "You can't rely on anyone. They [the councillors`] will do what they're told and I'm effing well telling you they'll do what they're told".

He said Mr Burke was responsible for his non-selection as a candidate in the 1987 general election. Mr Geraghty said he believed pressure had been put on Fianna Fail cumainn in north Dublin not to select him.