Developer Owen O'Callaghan paid former Fianna Fáil councillor Seán Gilbride £15,500 in the months before and after a vital vote on the Quarryvale development in 1992, the Mahon tribunal was told yesterday.
Lobbyist Frank Dunlop said he became aware of the payments to Mr Gilbride, a teacher, after he received a phone call from him in September 1992.
At the time, Mr Dunlop was working for Mr O'Callaghan and Luton-based developer Tom Gilmartin, on a project to develop the Liffey Valley shopping centre at Quarryvale, west Dublin.
During the phone call, Mr Gilbride said he had taken a leave of absence from his teaching job so that he could devote himself to the Quarryvale project and Mr O'Callaghan had agreed to pay him £1,750 a month in lieu of his salary, Mr Dunlop said.
"Mr Gilbride made contact with me in my office saying he couldn't get hold of Owen O'Callaghan and hadn't received his cheque," Mr Dunlop said. He said Mr O'Callaghan confirmed the arrangement and asked him to pay Mr Gilbride £1,750.
Mr Dunlop said he had already paid £12,000 to Mr Gilbride in May 1991 for his ongoing support of Quarryvale under the guise of the local election, but did not tell Mr O'Callaghan about it.
Patricia Dillon SC, counsel for the tribunal, said Mr Gilbride was being paid "on the double" for his support of Quarryvale.
"Why didn't you inform your boss you had already secured everything Mr Gilbride could give the project?" she asked. Mr Dunlop said he could not say why.
Ms Dillon said Mr O'Callaghan told the tribunal he had made a series of political donations to Mr Gilbride between September 1992 and April 1993 totalling £15,500, because Mr Gilbride wanted to run for the general election and had requested support. Mr Gilbride also said the payments were political donations, she said.
Mr Dunlop did not recall being told that and had believed that "to all intents and purposes" Mr Gilbride was acting in a consultancy capacity for Mr O'Callaghan.
Other councillors did not know Mr Gilbride was being paid by Mr O'Callaghan.
The tribunal also heard that Mr O'Callaghan and Mr Dunlop enlisted the help of auctioneer Gerry Leahy, then managing director of Gunne Estate Agents in Dublin west, to convince former Fine Gael councillor Peter Brady to support the Quarryvale project at a vital vote in December 1992.
The three men met in June 1992 and, according to Mr Dunlop, Mr O'Callaghan agreed that if the vote went in his favour, he would consider appointing Gunne Estate Agents as agents in Quarryvale.
However, Mr Leahy believed he had a commitment from Mr O'Callaghan that Gunne's would be appointed sole selling agents. The matter was the subject of a legal action, which did not proceed, the tribunal heard.
Ms Dillon asked Mr Dunlop if Mr Leahy had succeeded in persuading Mr Brady to support the Quarryvale project.
Mr Dunlop said that after encouragement from Fine Gael councillor Therese Ridge, Mr Brady did vote for the development.
"When his name was called there was a pause and councillor Therese Ridge said 'for, Peter, for'," Mr Dunlop said.
"We orchestrated it that when the vote came up, he was sitting beside 'Mother Therese' and that when his name was called, she gave him the dig to do the right thing."
