BUSINESSMAN JOHN Butler has said he did not know how much lobbyist Frank Dunlop was to be paid when he engaged him to assist in the rezoning of land at Cloghran, north Dublin.
The former owner of the Courtyard restaurant in Donnybrook, Dublin, told the tribunal that though he made contact with Mr Dunlop and engaged him, he never discussed his fees.
Mr Butler was questioned yesterday as part of the tribunal's Cloghran module, an investigation into allegations of corruption surrounding land close to Dublin airport.
Mr Dunlop had said he paid £5,000 to councillors to ensure the land was rezoned from agricultural to industrial in 1993. And he said Mr Butler was aware councillors would have to be paid. Mr Butler has denied the allegation.
The tribunal had heard that Mr Butler bought 18 acres at Cloghran in 1989 along with his then business partners, Niall Kenny and Tom Williams. However, the land, made up of two parcels, was not registered in their names and was held in trust by two solicitors.
Mr Butler said he could not explain why this arrangement was in place, but thought it may have been connected to "tax efficiency".
He engaged Pilgrim Associates, an architect's firm owned by Tim Collins, a friend of former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, to prepare plans for a seven-storey hotel on the site. However, Aer Rianta objected on safety grounds and the application did not proceed.
Instead, they looked for rezoning for the land. Mr Butler said he met Mr Dunlop for the first time by chance in the offices of architect Ambrose Kelly. They arranged to meet again at the Royal Dublin Hotel. Mr Dunlop gave him a list of names and photographs of councillors, he said, but they did not talk about his charges.
Counsel for the tribunal Pat Quinn SC said it was highly unlikely that an experienced businessman would not discuss terms before engaging someone. He pointed out that Mr Dunlop's first invoice, for £3,025 in January 1993, was addressed to Mr Butler at Blackfern Ltd, the company operating the Courtyard Restaurant.
Mr Butler said his partner, Mr Williams, would have dealt with that paperwork. Mr Quinn asked if Mr Butler was "seriously telling the tribunal he had no knowledge" of when and how Mr Dunlop was to receive payment for his lobbying services.
"I am, yes," Mr Butler replied.
Also yesterday, Cork developer Owen O'Callaghan said he was surprised Mr Dunlop did not tell him about his decision to buy a horse from breeder Jim Bolger in 1992.
The planning tribunal was questioning Mr O'Callaghan as part of the Quarryvale II module.
Mr O'Callaghan said the first time he heard about the horse was when it came out in the tribunal. He agreed he was in close contact with Mr Dunlop at the time and so was surprised he hadn't mentioned it to him.
