Political Corruption: Businessman And Four FF Councillors Charged

The long arm of the law finally caught up with wealthy businessman Jim Kennedy, 63, this week.

Gardai have been trying to interview him since 2002 in relation to alleged corrupt payments to politicians.

But he has evaded them at every turn - leaving the country and even renouncing his Irish citizenship.

But the former amusement arcade owner was arrested outside the Four Courts in Dublin last Tuesday, and by Friday he had been charged in the District Court with 16 counts of corruption.

Four of the councillors to whom it's claimed he made the payments were also brought before the court on Friday and charged.

The corruption claims involve the rezoning of land at Carrickmines in south Dublin from agriculture to industrial use.

It's claimed Mr Kennedy co-owned the land through a company called Jackson Way - and the land increased in value by €53 million as a result of the bribery.

Dublin City Council and Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council voted on the rezoning of 108 acres of land on dates in 1992 and 1997.

It's alleged that Jim Kennedy paid 16 politicians, some of whom are now deceased, from both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, to secure their votes.

Former FF councillors Sean Gilbride, Colm McGrath, Senator Don Lydon and Tony Fox, who is still a sitting councillor although now as an Independent, were charged on Friday with receiving sums of money as a reward for their votes on the rezoning.

All four men are pleading not guilty to the charges.

They were released on their own bail of €1,000 without any objection from Gardai.

Gardai did object to bail for Mr Kennedy, who is also pleading not guilty.

They said he no longer had any connections with Ireland and had not lived there since the 1990s.

In 2002, he renounced his Irish citizenship, and currently holds a British passport, and previously had an Isle of Man passport.

He had a number of addresses, including an apartment at the Four Seasons Hotel in Ballsbridge, south Dublin which his listed in court as his residence.

But officers said he had other addresses in Gibraltar and London, and connections with Switzerland, the Canary Islands, Spain and the Isle of Man.

The court granted Mr Kennedy bail if he made a cash lodgement of €30,000, and an independent surety of €50,000, which could be provided by his wife.

By Friday evening, he had been released on bail - his wife came up with the money within hours.

He must sign on daily at a Garda station.

The arrest of Mr Kennedy is the latest development in this long-running saga.

A tribunal has been investigating corrupt payments to Dublin city politicians for votes on planning for more than a decade.

A number of senior figures have gone to jail including former Minister Ray Burke and former government press secretary Frank Dunlop.

Mr Dunlop, who was recently released after serving an 18 month sentence, was involved in the present case - some of the payments are alleged to have been made in his office.

But Jim Kennedy has refused to co-operate with the Tribunal of Inquiry.

Having been unable to even question Mr Kennedy, the Gardai's Criminal Assets Bureau decided to take a civil case against his company Jackson Way.

The agency has the power to seek to confiscate assets they believe are the proceeds of crime.

Mr Kennedy was attending the first day of these proceedings when Gardai arrested him.

He is due back in court again this week.