Wright, Lydon admit not revealing donations

Updated: 10:41, Wednesday, 22 February 2006

Two Fianna Fáil Oireachtas members, Deputy GV Wright and Senator Don Lydon, have admitted to the Mahon Tribunal they failed to reveal donations to their party's inquiry.

1 of 2G V Wright - Admits understating payment
G V Wright - Admits understating payment
2 of 2Don Lydon - Forgot to tell FF probe about £7,000 donation
Don Lydon - Forgot to tell FF probe about £7,000 donation

Two Fianna Fáil Oireachtas members, Deputy GV Wright and Senator Don Lydon, have admitted to the Mahon Tribunal they failed to reveal donations to their party's inquiry.  

Deputy G V Wright said he had been incorrect about a £5,000 payment from developer Chris Jones. 

Mr Wright has only in the past two weeks revealed the payment from Mr Jones in November 1992. And that was when he was shown the cheque by the inquiry.

In 2000, he admits he gave incorrect information to his party's inquiry where he said it was £500.

And Mr Wright says he cannot understand why he told his party that he had checked this  - he said he still cannot remember what he did with the cheque.

Mr Wright said he supported the Ballycullen rezoning in south Dublin - he said Fianna Fáil was pro-development and it was not unusual for party councillors to vote in block to support rezoning.

Mr Wright said it never entered his head that there was anything untoward about accepting money from the landowner.

Earlier at the tribunal, Senator Don Lydon said his memory had been refreshed about payments totalling £7,000 he received from Mr Jones which he had not revealed to his party's inquiry.

Mr Lydon said he saw nothing the slightest bit wrong in accepting the money. He said  he needed it and some of it was because of services he had provided as a psychologist in St John of God Hospital in Co Dublin.

He said Mr Jones was a Fianna Fáil supporter who might have given him the money even if he had not supported the Ballycullen rezoning because he is such a beautiful man.

Mr Lydon denied lobbyist Frank Dunlop's claims that he paid him a £2,000 bribe to sign the Ballycullen rezoning.

But Mr Lydon had to admit he had forgotten discussing the rezoning with the lobbyist when he was shown phone records.

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