£20,000 not linked to rezone plan, inquiry told

A Dublin businessman and former partner in Davy Stockbrokers has told the tribunal that a £20,000 payment he gave to the lobbyist Frank Dunlop from his personal account about the time that motions to rezone the former Baldoyle racecourse were being prepared had nothing to do with this project.

Giving evidence yesterday, David Shubotham said the money was for work carried out by Mr Dunlop in relation to the Citywest business park, in which he was also involved.

He said Mr Dunlop had approached him because he had not been rewarded for his time and effort on the Citywest development since 19991.

"He was financially strapped - it was well known that I was very well off and on that basis I gave him the money in deference to the work that he had done," Mr Shubotham said.

Mr Shubotham said it was well known that he had plenty of money. He said that he had been one of the joint largest shareholders in Davy's when it was sold in 1989 or 1990 for "many tens of millions".

Counsel for the tribunal Des O'Neill SC suggested Mr Shubotham must have given the £20,000 cheque to the lobbyist about the time that motions on Baldoyle had to be submitted to Dublin County Council.

He said that money arrived in Mr Dunlop's account a few days later.

Mr Shubotham said that Mr Dunlop wanted to be paid for services relating to Citywest.

He agreed that payment was over and above an agreement reached between Mr Dunlop and the Citywest partnership in 1991 which saw his fees transmuted into a shareholding.

Mr Shubotham said that the £20,000 payment had absolutely nothing to do with Baldoyle.

He said that from the summer of 1992 he had ceased having any interest in participating in the Baldoyle project.

Mr Shubotham said that he had never been a director of Pennine Holdings, the company which was established to seek the rezoning of the former racecourse land for housing.

He said Mr Dunlop had carried out considerable work in relation to Citywest and that he was entitled to the additional money.

Meanwhile, four former members of Dublin County Council yesterday denied allegations that they received money from Mr Dunlop for their support for the Baldoyle rezoning plan.

Tony Fox, of Fianna Fáil, said that he emphatically denied that he received £1,000.

Liam Cosgrave, of Fine Gael, said that the allegation was "false".

Senator Don Lydon said that he had never been paid money for supporting the plan.

Former Independent councillor John O'Halloran said he received no money in relation to the Baldoyle land.