By: William O’Toole
Former county manager Eddie Sheehy has told the High Court that he was ‘legally bound’ to sign a compulsory purchase order for land at Greystones in 2011.
The order which was for €3 million relates to three acres of landthat the council purchased for social housing at ‘Three Trout’s”, Charlesland, Greystones.
He was giving evidence on day two of an appeal over an unsuccessful action for defamation against him and the council by two councillors.
Sheehy told the court that there had been criticism at the time from a former TD who claimed that the land was worth no more than €200,000.
He told the court that he was legally obligated to purchase the land and said that the council would have valued the land at €7 million a few years before.
He also told the court that he took very seriously alligations of wrong doing made against him and his staff.
“There was an innuendo that somebody here had done something improper to benefit somebody and I regard that as a very serious matter.” he said.
Barry Nevin and Thomas Cullen lost a Circuit Court action last year which claimed that they had been defaimed in a press release issued by Sheehy.
The case continues.
