Four cheques, each for £50,000, drawn on Bovale Developments were the subject of intensive scrutiny by the Flood tribunal yesterday - and one of them was a complete mystery to that company's managing director, Mr Michael Bailey.
The first cheque, No. 3380, dated September 7th, 1990, appeared to have been made out to a company called CGB Ltd, counsel for the tribunal, Mr Desmond O'Neill SC, noted.
Mr Bailey said he had no knowledge of it. Mr O'Neill wondered if the letters could be some combination, perhaps, of "AGB" or "OGB", but Mr Bailey could shed no light on the mystery.
Was there any reason why it had been posted into "Sundries", asked counsel for the tribunal - as identified by a previous witness, Mr Joe O'Toole, accountant to Bovale Developments. Did this denote that it had something to do with the acquisition of the Murphy lands? It did not, replied Mr Bailey.
"No other intermediary apart from Mr Gogarty had (been given) money - as an acquisition cost to the Murphy lands?"
"No."
The second cheque, No. 3399, for £50,000, was debited to the Bovale account on September 18th, 1990. It was made out to Vale Heating, who were plumbing and heating sub-contractors. There was no business connection between Bovale and Vale Heating, he added.
The third cheque, No. 3350, dated October 3rd, 1990 was also for Vale Heating, and signed by Mrs Caroline Bailey, wife of Mr Tom Bailey (Michael's brother).
"The fourth, No. 3439, dated 30 September 1990, was for cash for £50,000 and it's signed by yourself and your brother," said Mr O'Neill. "Can you tell the tribunal who cashed it or where the cash went to?"
"I have no idea."
"You have no reluctance to being a co-signatory?"
"No."
Neither could he say definitively, Mr Bailey added, that none of the four cheques had anything to do with the acquisition costs of the Murphy lands, because of his inability to say whom No. 3380 had been made out to.