It is alleged that Dublin City Council officials recommended that protection money be paid over to a notorious gangster.
The High Court was told that three building firms working for the city council paid between €1,200 and €1,500 a week to violent criminal Derek ‘Dee Dee’ O’Driscoll.
It is also alleged that two officials from Dublin City council recommended that the builders get in contact with the gangster and one even facilitated a meeting with O’Driscoll, who has 20 convictions.
Officers from the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) told the High Court that both men are part of a criminal organisation involved in serious crime and the supply of heroin, cocaine and cannabis in Ballyfermot and west Dublin.
The court was told that the three construction companies building houses for Dublin City Council and Co-Operative Housing Ireland had their sites and staff attacked.
A CAB officer told how the officials from Dublin City Council recommended to the builders that they hire O’Driscoll and Reilly for protection.
Another builder was told that €1,200 a week to be paid in cash each week in protection money could be reclaimed from the council.
Fine Gael Councillor Danny Byrne has called for a special meeting with the Dublin City Council Chief Executive Owen Keegan.
He described the disclosures as “outrageous” and demanded to know who authorised the payments and how much was involved.
He said: “These very serious revelations are extremely alarming and raise many questions.”
Dublin City Council said there is an investigation underway and they will release a statement shortly.
