A former director of Joseph Murphy Structural Engineering denied yesterday that he left the company in November 1997 because "more bad news in relation to planning was coming down the tracks." Mr Gabriel Grehan said: "The main reason for me leaving the company was to pursue other interests."
Mr John Gallagher SC, for the tribunal, put it to Mr Grehan that he had had a drink with Mr Garvan McGinley [former secretary of the Progressive Democrats] at a general council meeting of the party in Malahide in January 1998. He then read from an outline of evidence which Mr McGinley proposes to give to the tribunal.
Mr Gallagher said, "In the course of that outline he has said as follows,` . . . he [Mr Grehan] told me that he had left JMSE because he felt that more bad news in relation to planning was coming down the tracks and he wanted to dissociate himself from the company because of that.' Did you say that to Mr McGinley?"
Mr Grehan replied: "I can't recall saying that, . . . No, I wanted to leave because I had been under a lot of pressure from a lot of contracts over a long period of time and I wanted to take it a little bit easy."
He said later that he could not recall, as outlined by Mr McGinley, having a telephone conversation with Ms Mary Harney in June 1997 at her home.
Mr McGinley had said in his outline that Mr Grehan "told me that he wanted to inform Mary Harney that Dermot Ahern was going to London at the behest of the leader of Fianna Fail to interview Joseph Murphy Jnr. I believe that the call was made on the evening before the date on which Dermot Ahern travelled to London."
Mr Gallagher asked Mr Grehan if he accepted the balance of what Mr McGinley said.
"Yes," said Mr Grehan.
Mr Gallagher read further from Mr McGinley's outline:
"`It was my understanding that in June of 1997 Gay Grehan was seeking to convey and was conveying to Mary Harney information that he had learned or obtained as a director of JMSE, and it was in that capacity that he was attempting to give our party leader very important information.' Do you accept that?" asked Mr Gallagher.
"Yes," said Mr Grehan.
Mr Gallagher put it to him that he never told Mr McGinley the allegations were just rumours.
"That's what Mr McGinley was saying," said Mr Grehan. "I am saying it was always based on rumour or hearsay."
