Woman denies money came from her father

The questioning of a daughter of Fianna Fáil councillor Tony Fox ended abruptly when she broke down in the witness box.

The tribunal is investigating an allegation by Frank Dunlop that he paid Mr Fox £1,000 in November 1992 in return for his support for the rezoning of Ballycullen.

Caroline Fox, a dental nurse, was called to answer questions about a number of lodgments to her bank accounts in 1992 after she failed to reply to a letter from tribunal lawyers.

Emma Dalton, barrister, for the tribunal, said £5,410 had been lodged to two of Ms Fox's accounts over a seven-week period in 1992/93.

Ms Fox said her banks had been unable to provide her with information on the lodgments, which were made a long time ago.

She had married abroad in September 1992 and had a wedding party in November and had received a lot of cash gifts. The lodgments came from these gifts, savings and an accumulation of children's allowance.

None of the money had come from her father, she said. At that period, she was not talking to him.

A director of Ballycullen Farms, Oliver Brooks, said he did not know anything about the payments Mr Dunlop alleges he made to politicians. He did not have much to do with Mr Dunlop, who didn't "bring much to the table" when rezoning was being sought.

Mr Brooks, who is a Fianna Fáil councillor in Co Meath, said he delivered a number of political donations "like a courier" on behalf of Ballycullen Farms in the early 1990s.