Cork developer Owen O'Callaghan has denied that he paid 'outrageous' sums of money to politicians while lobbying for the Quarryvale rezoning.
The Mahon Tribunal heard today that Mr O'Callaghan gave £10,000 each to two Fianna Fáil politicians in 1991 equivalent to half a TD's annual salary at the time.
Mr O'Callaghan said he gave £10,000 to then Fianna Fáil councillor Colm McGrath and to then TD, the late Liam Lawlor.
Mr O'Callaghan said both men had asked for assistance in the June 1991 local elections but he did not pay the money until the following September and October.
Patricia Dillon SC, for the inquiry, pointed out that these donations for local elections amounted to 50% of a TD's salary in 1991.
But Mr O'Callaghan said both men ran difficult and expensive campaigns and he did not think the sums were outrageous.
He said he could not explain how these sums came to be charged to Tom Gilmartin's company's loan account and said he did not tell Mr Gilmartin about the payments.
Mr O'Callaghan said he referred to the payments as out of pocket expenses in company records as a matter of privacy.
And he insisted he told fellow shareholders AIB about the payments despite a denial by the bank official in charge of the Quarryvale project.
Mr O'Callaghan said the payments were made by cheque but the inquiry heard that the bank cannot find any copies of them.
Mr O'Callaghan also said he was wrong to say originally that he had paid £5,000 to Mr Lawlor in 1991.
He now says that money went to buy a share in a horse.
