Dunlop bribery claims 'terrify' family

Fianna Fáil councillor Tony Fox has described as "outrageous", allegations by lobbyist Frank Dunlop that he bribed the politician to support rezonings.

Mr Fox repeated earlier denials that he had ever asked for or received money from Mr Dunlop. "I would never do a thing like that," he told the tribunal yesterday.

Mr Dunlop's allegations had put his family under huge pressure, he said. "The effect on my wife and children, what this is doing to them, has been absolutely terrifying.

"I can honestly and truthfully tell you I got no money from Mr Dunlop and what he's saying here is untrue." In the current module, Mr Dunlop alleges he paid Mr Fox £1,000 in return for his support to rezone lands at Lissenhall, near Swords, in 1993.

Mr Fox denied the allegation yesterday and accused the lobbyist of making it up. He said he didn't know why Mr Dunlop was picking on him.

Mr Fox, from Rathfarnham, said he had a modest house and lifestyle, worked very hard over the years for the council and had done everything for the best of the community. Then Mr Dunlop came to the tribunal "plucking some statements willy-nilly out of his head".

He accused Mr Dunlop of picking "a few more dead people" to make allegations against and suggested the lobbyist might have added his name to the list of alleged payees after RTÉ wrongly referred to him as deceased in a report six years ago. Mr Dunlop only gave the vaguest detail in his allegations, he said. Payments were made in "so-and-so a place" and the date given for a payment spanned a period of a month before or after a particular date.

"There's nothing specific in what he says. This has been going on for years. It's unbelievable."

He accused the lobbyist of giving incorrect information about the fees he got from clients and said Mr Dunlop was using councillors to justify what he had done with his money.

Mr Dunlop was trying to offload these sums on "unfortunate people".

Mr Fox said he had no relationship with Mr Dunlop at the time of the Lissenhall vote in 1993. When it was put to him that Mr Dunlop's phone records showed seven calls from Mr Fox around this time, the witness accepted there had been some contact.

He thought the tribunal had been asking about meetings rather than phone calls.

Tim Rowe, an architect who drew up schemes to develop the Lissenhall land, said he didn't believe any councillors were paid in connection with its rezoning.

Mr Rowe said he was surprised to learn that Fine Gael councillor Anne Devitt had received a €20,000 consultancy fee from the owners of the land, Joe Moran. He had dealt with her in her role as a public representative, rather than a consultant.