Speculation was growing last night that the former assistant Dublin city and county manager, Mr George Redmond, will become a "friendly witness" to the planning tribunal.
This follows consultations yesterday between Mr Redmond and lawyers to the tribunal about the nature of the evidence he will give. Further meetings are expected in the coming days.
Mr Redmond was the subject of further allegations made by Mr James Gogarty yesterday. In his evidence, Mr Gogarty claimed that Mr Redmond was to receive £15,000 from Joseph Murphy Structural Engineering after an agreement that he would act as a consultant to the company on retiring fell through.
Mr Redmond said yesterday that he had been talking to tribunal lawyers "generally" and that these discussions were "in the normal run of events".
He declined to comment on claims that he was in possession of "explosive evidence" which could have serious political and business implications. However, legal sources insisted that "something major has changed" regarding Mr Redmond's testimony. His entire legal team has been absent from the hearings in Dublin Castle since January 27th. This was "not through inadvertence", according to a legal source.
Mr Redmond said yesterday that he was worried about the legal costs he could incur if the tribunal continues for a long time. He said he had already received a legal bill for £100,000 arising from his appearance at the tribunal and his unsuccessful application to the High Court to have allegations against him heard in private. This was appealed, again unsuccessfully, to the Supreme Court last month.
In previous tribunals, parties granted representation were generally awarded costs when the tribunal concluded. However, legal sources say there are significantly lower expectations among lawyers that costs will be awarded at the planning tribunal.
At the outset, the chairman, Mr Justice Flood, said there was no guarantee that parties granted representation would receive their costs. Parties found to have failed to co-operate with the tribunal could have their costs withheld.
One lawyer claimed that the issue of costs was being used as a "bargaining chip" by the tribunal.
As a private individual, Mr Redmond (74) would be particularly exposed if he had to pay some or all of his costs. Other parties which are the subject of Mr Gogarty's accusations, such as Mr Michael Bailey and Mr Joseph Murphy, own companies with large turnovers.
