Gogarty says error on meeting corrected

Mr James Gogarty conceded he told a TD and a journalist a senior Murphy group executive was at the meeting at which £40,000 was allegedly handed to the former minister, Mr Ray Burke.

But the tribunal's chief witness so far added that he had "corrected that some time ago". Mr Frank Reynolds, a senior JMSE executive, was not at the meeting, he said. Mr Gogarty had originally told Mr Tommy Broughan, Labour TD for Dublin North East, and Mr Frank Connolly, of the Sunday Business Post, Mr Reynolds had been at the alleged meeting at Mr Burke's home in Swords, Co Dublin.

Counsel for the tribunal, Mr John Gallagher SC, read out part of Mr Broughan's statement arising from a meeting with Mr Gogarty at the TD's clinic at the Marine Hotel, Sutton, on April 26th, 1996. "Jim alleges that £40,000 had been handed over to Mr Ray Burke TD - £30,000 in cash and £10,000 in a cheque by Mr Joe Murphy jnr at a house in Swords. Jim alleged that Mr Mike Bailey and Mr Frank Reynolds were also present and that Mr Mike Bailey had threatened him," the statement said.

Mr Gogarty accepted he might have said that but he was now on oath, he was "not denying anything at all" and he had corrected it. "Frank Reynolds wasn't there. He had intended being there and told me he'd be there . . .

Mr Gallagher then moved on to Mr Connolly's statement in which the journalist said he met Mr Gogarty a number of times. At a meeting in March 1996, Mr Gogarty "went into great details about his claim and showed me a large table piled with documents containing information about the activities of JMSE over the years", the statement said.

"During this meeting, he mentioned that Frank Reynolds was also present at the meeting in Ray Burke's house," it continued.

Mr Gogarty said that he "probably did" say that to Mr Connolly. He said he just repeated that it was in his mind because Mr Reynolds was organising the meeting with Junior (Mr Murphy) and with Mr Bailey.

Mr Gogarty's counsel, Mr Frank Callanan SC, asked the tribunal counsel to read out another sentence in the statement. "In a later discussion he [Mr Gogarty] said that Mr Reynolds did not travel to Burke's house," it read.

Mr Gogarty said he had not read the Irish Independent article by Sam Smyth last week. The chairman gave him until this morning to read it.