Flood report says Redmond received corrupt payments

Former assistant Dublin city and county manager, George Redmond (79), received corrupt payments in the 1980s from businessman Mr Joseph Murphy jnr and builder Mr Michael Bailey, the planning tribunal has concluded.

The tribunal also said it was satisfied that Redmond - along with Mr Murphy, Mr Bailey and Mr Frank Reynolds - had "hindered and obstructed" the tribunal.

In its third interim report the tribunal was satisfied Redmond devised a strategy to fix service charges and levies on Forest Road lands, Swords Co Dublin at their 1983 rate for two years after the exiry date of planning permission. He received up to £12,246 for the service from Mr Murphy amounting to a corrupt payment, the report said.

The tribunal was satisfied Redmond demanded 10 per cent of the savings achieved by the scheme and was also satisfied Redmond claimed that if a new planning application was made without his help the service charges and levies would be fixed at a level of at least 100 per cent more than those fixed in 1983.

Redmond also received between £16,000 and £20,000 from Mr Bailey in three cash payments prior to July 1989 "in circumstances which give rise to a reasonable inference that such payments were made in order to influence him in the performance of his duties", the report said. These amounted to corrupt payments also, the report said.

The report, however, said the payment of £15,000 by Mr Murphy to Redmond in the Clontarf Castle Hotel in July 1989, as compensation for not appointing Redmond as a consultant, did not amount to a corrupt payment as defined by the tribunal's terms of reference.

Redmond had obstructed the tribunal by failing to give a truthful account of the Forest Road levies scheme, by falsely denying he received money from Mr Murphy, by falsely claiming to have reveived £25,000 from Mr James Gogarty, and by giving an untruthful account of the services he provided for Mr Bailey.

Mr Murphy and Mr Bailey had obstructed the tribunal by giving false accounts of their dealings with Redmond, while Mr Reynolds -  former chief executive of JMSE, the Murphy group operating company - had failed to acknowledge he was present at the meeting between Mr Murphy and Redmond the in Clontarf Castle Hotel.

The 21-page report, released shortly before 11 a.m., was compiled by the former chairman of the planning tribunal Mr Justice Feargus Flood who was replaced subsequently by Judge Alan Mahon. It was put together in September 2002 but its publication was delayed until Redmond's trial finished so it would not prejudice proceedings.

A copy of the report has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Redmond was convicted of corruption and is serving a 12-month sentence in Cloverhill Prison. The conviction was unrelated to the tribunal's investigation.