Senator asked for #5,000 bribe and got #3,000, tribunal told

Fianna Fáil senator Mr Don Lydon was paid £3,000 as a bribe for supporting a motion to rezone lands in south Co Dublin, although…

Fianna Fáil senator Mr Don Lydon was paid £3,000 as a bribe for supporting a motion to rezone lands in south Co Dublin, although he asked for £5,000, lobbyist Mr Frank Dunlop told the tribunal.

A motion submitted on May 4th, 1992, stated that Dublin County Council resolved that lands at Carrickmines comprising 180 acres should be rezoned in the development plan to provide a high-quality, job-creation base for south Co Dublin.

The development company was Paisley Park Investments Ltd, owned by Mr John Caldwell and Mr Jim Kennedy.

Mr Dunlop said: "The discussion about the motion was with Liam Lawlor in my office."

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Mr John Gallagher SC, for the tribunal, asked if they discussed that the motion was to provide high-quality job creation. Mr Dunlop said they were Mr Lawlor's words. He said that in a meeting with Mr Kennedy in his office and at a second meeting with Mr Lawlor, he had discussed the fact that the entire site should be rezoned.

Mr Dunlop said that on May 4th, 1992, he met Mr Lydon at his office in St John Of Gods Hospital, Stillorgan. The purpose was to get his signature for the motion to be submitted later that day and to secure his ongoing support.

Mr Gallagher asked if he spoke to Mr Lydon about money. Mr Dunlop said he did before that meeting. He said he met Mr Lydon on May 1st at his place of work and discussed his willingness to sign. Mr Lydon had told him he supported the development.

Mr Lydon had said that anybody who supported anything to do with the rezoning was going to find it difficult as it ran contrary to what the manager had recommended. In that context, £5,000 was mentioned: Mr Lydon said his signature and ongoing support would cost £5,000.

"Mr Lydon said: 'I'm going to get expletive deletive derision piled on my head'," Mr Dunlop said. He said he told Mr Lydon he recognised the difficulties and would not give him £5,000 but would give him £3,000.

Mr Gallagher said: "Many people would say the senator was looking for a bribe and you agreed to a bribe of £3,000."

Mr Dunlop replied: "There is no other word to describe it."

Mr Gallagher said: "So you're telling me that Mr Lydon looked for a bribe of £5,000 but was given a bribe of £3,000?"

Mr Dunlop said: "Correct."

Mr Dunlop said he gave the money in cash. "The source of the money was monies I received from Mr Kennedy in relation to the Paisley Park development," he said.

Mr Gallagher asked: "And in paying the money to Mr Lydon you were carrying out the wishes of Mr Kennedy?"

Mr Dunlop said: "Yes."

He said Mr Lydon signed the motion before receiving the money. "It was in bundles of cash. I had it in the inner pocket of my coat. I put it on his desk," he said.

Mr Lydon said thank you and that he would do everything in his power to assist. Mr Dunlop said he did not ask for a receipt and Mr Lydon did not offer one.

Mr Dunlop said he met Mr Caldwell and Mr Kennedy on May 5th and told them the motion had been signed and put forward. He said it was probable he did tell them who signed. However, he did not tell Mr Caldwell about the money.

"I never discussed monies concerning Paisley Park with Mr Caldwell. The only persons I discussed it with were Mr Kennedy and Mr Lawlor," he said.

He told Mr Lawlor he had the signatures and given the money.

Mr Gallagher said: "You're saying Liam Lawlor told you monies would have to be paid to councillors to secure the support and signing of rezoning motions and you subsequently told him you paid £3,000 to two people who would be willing to sign?

Mr Dunlop replied: "Yes."

Mr Gallagher asked: "Are you saying that you understood Liam Lawlor believed that money had been paid by way of a bribe?"

"Yes," Mr Dunlop said.