TD lobbied Reynolds over rezoning of right of way

FIANNA FÁIL TD John McGuinness lobbied former taoiseach Albert Reynolds to intervene so that a commercial right-of-way would be granted to his brothers project at Dublin airport, according to the report of the planning tribunal.

The report says businessman Michael McGuinness gave lobbyist Frank Dunlop £10,000 cash in the knowledge that at least part of the money would be used for corrupt purposes.

As managing director of Neptune Freight, he had hired Mr Dunlop to lobby for a project to rezone land for industrial purposes so that air freight warehousing could be built near the airport. The proposal put forward by the Cargobridge consortium, which included Neptune, was strongly opposed by Aer Rianta.

As the report notes, the alteration of a right-of-way from agricultural to commercial use was crucial to the firm’s rezoning plans.

In October 1992, John McGuinness wrote to Mr Reynolds saying his brother’s project would secure at least 400 jobs at Neptune Freight. He said his own company employing 30 people in Kilkenny was a subcontractor to Neptune.

“It would seem that there is a need for direct political intervention in this case in order to remove some of the ‘red tape’ which is preventing the project getting to the ‘start position’,” he wrote.

The report says this approach to the taoiseach prompted further consideration of the issue by the Department of Transport. Separately, Michael McGuinness had written to minister for transport Brian Cowen seeking “unencumbered commercial access”.

Department officials refused to bow on the right-of-way issue but after the land was rezoned Mr Cowen stated he had no objection to the status of the right-of-way being altered to commercial.

The tribunal found that he exercised his discretion having regard to the circumstances at the time.

Michael McGuinness denied Mr Dunlop’s allegation but refused to attend the tribunal to give evidence. He moved abroad and supplied addresses in the UK, Spain and later Thailand.

John McGuinness could not be reached by phone yesterday.

Cargobridge bought the lands for £1 million and sold them six years later for over £8 million after they were rezoned.