Developer Owen O'Callaghan has told the Mahon Tribunal that he was warned by councillors to avoid the late Liam Lawlor when he was planning a Dublin shopping centre development.
But Mr O'Callaghan has denied allegations by the former lobbyist Frank Dunlop that bribes were paid to get the Quarryvale site rezoned for the Liffey Valley centre in Dublin.
Mr O'Callaghan today began testimony in the Quarryvale Two module that is scheduled to last at least four weeks.
The tribunal has already heard Mr O'Callaghan hired Mr Dunlop for the Quarryvale rezoning.
He paid Mr Dunlop a total of £1.8m and also made payments to councillors and political parties, but he denies any were bribes.
Mr Dunlop says he paid bribes to 14 different councillors to get the rezoning through but that Mr O'Callaghan was unaware of this.
Liam Lawlor received a total of nearly £200,000 including £36,000 directly from Mr O'Callaghan.
Today Mr O'Callaghan said he was warned by other councillors that Mr Lawlor was a divisive figure and could affect support for his plans.
He said this was the reason that he was wary of being seen with him in public.
During the questioning Mr O'Callaghan denied telling Mr Dunlop that councillor and barrister Michael Mulcahy, who is currently a Dublin TD, had asked him for £50,000 to support another west Dublin development at Cooldrinagh.
