INTRODUCTIONS to Government Ministers and Department Secretaries were arranged for a wealthy property speculator who was seeking substantial State grants for a fish processing project, the Circuit Civil Court was told.
Dublin public relations consultant, Mr Desmond Benson, said he had been retained in 1982/83 by Mr John O'Connor, Boolakeal House, Ballinskelligs, Co Kerry, as an adviser.
The President of the Circuit Court, Mr Justice Frank Spain, granted Mr Benson judgment for £12,000 and costs against Mr O'Connor, who was said to have homes in London and Houston, Texas, where he was on business yesterday while his case was being heard.
Mr Benson told Mr Justice Spain that Mr O'Connor had planned to go into the fish processing industry.
"Mr O'Connor was basing his enterprise on getting substantial government grants which did not materialise and eventually the project was aborted", Mr Benson said.
He told Mr David Hegarty, counsel for Mr O'Connor, that he had an oral contract with Mr O'Connor. Mr O'Connor had agreed to pay him £1,000 a month for a year.
"There was little if any documentation relating to the deal and my work for Mr O'Connor. He was a very wealthy man with lots of money and I considered him to be a gentleman," Mr Benson said.
He said he had gone further than write letters to Ministers and Department Secretaries and had introduced Mr O'Connor personally to them. On one occasion Mr O'Connor had the then Minister for Fisheries and Forestry and the Secretary of the Department at a dinner party in his home.
Mr Benson said he had no great concern about Mr O'Connor not paying him during the year of the contract but, since 1983, he had been continually fobbed off when each year he made direct approaches for the £12,000.
He said Mr O'Connor had once told him he would make things up to him by appointing him public relations consultant to a golf complex he was developing in Cork but, instead of honouring this undertaking, he had appointed a Cork company.
Mr Justice Spain said Mr Benson had been fobbed off down the years and it was about time the matter came to an end.