Tom Brennan has denied that Ray Burke had any involvement in proposals to sell land at Sandyford in Dublin to Dun Laoghaire Corporation. At the Flood Tribunal today, the builder denied ever speaking to Mr Burke about the land. However, in conversations which were secretly recorded by a solicitor in 1985, his partner, Joe McGowan, said that Mr Burke supported the sale.
Philip Russell, whose father George worked as Brennan and McGowan's solicitor for many years, made the secret tapes. The relationship between Mr Russell and the builders went sour in 1985 when a legal battle began over lands at Sandyford. It was discovered that two different banks had mortgaged the land and both were moving in. Mr Russell's father was held responsible and Philip Russell said that they no longer trusted the builders and began taping their conversations.
In one of the taped conversations, Joe McGowan talked about the possible sale of the land to Dun Laoghaire Corporation. He said that everyone was behind this deal, including Ray Burke. Mr McGowan also said that Tom Brennan had gone to see Ray Burke and was probably there at the time the conversation was taking place.
The Tribunal has already heard that a year previously, when the land was mortgaged, Ray Burke was paid £60,000 from that loan. This prompts the question, why was Tom Brennan talking to Mr Burke about the proposed sale of the land to Dun Laoghaire Corporation one year later?
Mr Brennan was asked if the former minister had assisted with planning permission. He replied that he never asked him. Mr Brennan said that, in fact, he never spoke to Ray Burke about this land, despite what his partner might have said. He added that he was always against the sale of the land to the local authority because its offer price of £1.2m was too low. He said that the sale never went through.
In a separate development, the High Court has finished hearing the Judicial Review proceedings against the Flood Tribunal taken by Dublin estate agent and auctioneer John Finnegan. Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns said that he would do his best to issue his judgement before the end of next week.
