MAHON TRIBUNAL: Businessman Mr Jim Kennedy claimed to have bought land "for George Redmond", his former land agent Mr Sam Stanley has told the tribunal.
Mr Stanley said he subsequently discovered the 32-acre holding at Portrane in north Dublin was for Mr Kennedy and his business partner, solicitor Mr John Caldwell.
He said Mr Kennedy explained that if planning was refused on the land and the refusal was worded in a certain way, he could look for compensation.
Mr Kennedy and Mr Caldwell later applied for £2 million compensation from the local authority, he understood.
Mr Stanley said he also acted for Mr Kennedy in acquiring lands at Cooldrinagh in west Dublin for £100,000. Within a month, Mr Kennedy boasted that the lands were worth £500,000.
Mr Stanley maintains a claim to part-ownership of the multi-million-euro property held by Jackson Way in Carrickmines, south Dublin, he told the tribunal.
He also said he may take legal proceedings against Mr Kennedy for his claimed 20 per cent stake in these lands. Mr Kennedy and Mr Caldwell have been linked to ownership of the 108-acre holding.
He denied an allegation by Mr Caldwell that he threatened to "proceed in a particular way" unless he was "cut in" for a piece of the Carrickmines lands.
"John Caldwell has admitted misleading the tribunal already," the witness told lawyers for Mr Caldwell. "I didn't run to ground and hide in the long grass in the Isle of Man."
Mr Ian Finlay SC, for Mr Caldwell, said his client would say that Mr Stanley contacted his office about four years ago. Mr Caldwell's secretary reluctantly gave the caller his mobile phone number. In their conversation, Mr Stanley made his demand to be "cut in" on the lands.
Mr Stanley denied having telephoned the solicitor on his mobile but agreed that he might have had a conversation with him at this time.
He was aware of the statute of limitations and he may have felt he had to "do something" in relation to his claim for part-ownership of the lands.
The witness said Mr Caldwell was a very precise and meticulous solicitor, yet in his statement to the tribunal he said he couldn't recollect or recall matters on 33 separate occasions.
He added: "Now I'm a farmer in Galway and I don't know how I can be expected to be more brilliant than Mr Caldwell".
Mr Finlay pointed out that Mr Stanley sought 1.5 per cent commission, equivalent to £8,100, from the seller of the Carrickmines land, Mr Bob Tracey, for his involvement. Yet he had also negotiated a payment of £1 million - almost twice the price paid to Mr Tracey - from the buyer, Mr Kennedy.
Mr Stanley denied breaching any ethical guidelines by looking for a fee from Mr Tracey in the deal. He never considered himself to be Mr Tracey's agent.
Asked about his description of Mr Kennedy as a liar, the witness said the "real home truths" about Mr Kennedy didn't start sinking in until 1989.
Seven years earlier Mr Kennedy had first claimed that Redmond was his "cousin", but Mr Stanley said he always had his doubts.
He denied having any interest in Mr Kennedy's attempts to have his land at Carrickmines rezoned. It was up to the tribunal to decide on the relevance of the lands.
