Developer put politician on payroll for almost a year
A former Fianna Fail councillor, who was on developer Owen O'Callaghan's payroll during critical Quarryvale rezoning votes, never told other councillors he was being paid the equivalent of his teacher's salary for almost a year.
And Sean Gilbride never revealed to the gardai or an internal FF inquiry that he knew the late Liam Lawlor was also being paid by developers, the Mahon Tribunal heard yesterday. His political antennae remained static when developer Tom Gilmartin told him that Mr Lawlor, a national politician, was getting money.
Mr Gilbride never disclosed what he knew to either the gardai or Fianna Fail "because they never asked him the question", he told the tribunal.
Yesterday Mr Gilbride insisted that he was surprised to learn that Mr Lawlor was being paid but he never asked Tom Gilmartin how much the politician was being paid, or what he was being paid for.
Salary
Mr Gilbride also revealed that Quarryvale developer Owen O'Callaghan paid him IR£1,750 a month -- the equivalent of his teacher's salary -- and these payments began before councillors had voted on Quarryvale.
He told the tribunal he had asked Mr O'Callaghan if the developer would fund him while he tried to win a seat in either the Dail or Seanad.
Although he had only met Mr O'Callaghan about five or six times, he felt comfortable asking him to effectively become his political sponsor.
Mr Gilbride said he didn't see anything wrong with this. He was interested in pursuing a political career but his work as a teacher hampered his efforts to canvass and get himself known in the constituency.
Mr O'Callaghan agreed to pay him his salary equivalent for his career break, which was taken from September 1992 to March 1993.
He told tribunal counsel Patricia Dillon he didn't see the need to tell his fellow councillors that he was being paid by Mr O'Callaghan for a period before and after the crucial Quarryvale rezoning vote in December 1992.
"At the time I didn't see any need for it," Mr Gilbride said.
He said he never told the Fianna Fail leader on the council about his arrangement with Mr O'Callaghan. He said he had always been supportive of Quarryvale. The fact he was being paid by Mr O'Callaghan had nothing to do with it. Mr Gilbride said he did not get a nomination to contest the November 1992 General Election because FF decided not to have a candidate from Balbriggan, which was his area. He did not contest the Seanad election early in 1993. He asked Mr O'Callaghan for IR£5,000 to help defray his election expenses and he got a cheque from him in Febuary 1993.
Mr O'Callaghan has already told the tribunal he gave Mr Gilbride IR£15,500 while lobbyist Frank Dunlop said he had given Mr Gilbride IR£12,000 after Mr Gilbride initially asked for IR£15,000 to support the rezoning of Quarryvale.
Yesterday Mr Gilbride said he got IR£2,000 in cash from Mr Dunlop who arrived out to his house in Skerries with the money. He believed he got this donation for the June 1991 local elections and it was the largest he got.
- Lorna Reid
