Joseph Murphy Junior, Denies being involved in negotiations with Michael Bailey
On his second day in the witness box at the Flood Tribunal, Joseph Murphy Junior was asked about the main allegations that James Gogarty has made against him. Counsel for the Tribunal asked Mr Murphy if he was involved in the negotiations with Michael Bailey about the sale of the lands at the centre of the inquiry. Mr Murphy said that this was totally incorrect, that he did not meet Mr Bailey until three years later.
Mr Murphy was then asked if he had gone to Ray Burke's house in June 1989 and if Mr Gogarty had been requested to accompany him. Mr Murphy denied this, saying the suggestion that he would go along to a meeting to bribe somebody over lands that were being sold on was absolutely ridiculous. He had never even been in Ray Burke's house, he said, and had never met him.
He also denied James Gogarty's allegation that he paid money to George Redmond at a meeting in Clontarf Castle the same year. He said that he was in England at the time, that he had never met George Redmond before the establishment of this Tribunal, and that he had never been in Clontarf Castle in his life. Mr Murphy said that Mr Gogarty's allegations were utter lies. When asked why Mr Gogarty should say such things, Mr Murphy said Mr Gogarty had told him in 1992 "Mark my words. I'll destroy you. "
This morning, Joseph Murphy Junior said that James Gogarty wanted a £300,000 lump sum of his pension paid into an off-shore account or other family member accounts to avoid paying tax on it. Mr Murphy said that Mr Gogarty had once been a loyal servant of the company, but his loyalty had been ruined with lies, blackmail and theft. Mr Murphy was questioned again about the turmoil the company was in during the late 1980's. He said that he was of the opinion then that James Gogarty was a good and loyal servant of the company and should be treated fairly when it came to his pension.
He said that his opinion of Mr Gogarty later changed, and that, far from helping the Murphys in their boardroom battle in 1988 and subsequent litigation with a former Chief Executive, Mr Gogarty had in fact hindered them. Joseph Murphy Junior also said that Mr Gogarty had lied to the Tribunal about there being a dispute between him and his father over selling the land in North County Dublin at the centre of this inquiry. "There was no dispute about that," he said, "that was rubbish."
