Developer denies FF TD Mulcahy asked for £50,000

MAHON TRIBUNAL:CORK DEVELOPER Owen O'Callaghan has denied that Fianna Fáil TD Michael Mulcahy ever asked him for £50,000. At his first appearance at the Mahon tribunal since 2004, Mr O'Callaghan said the idea was ridiculous.

Frank Dunlop had privately told the tribunal that Mr O’Callaghan told him Mr Mulcahy asked him for the money in the late 1980s when Mr Mulcahy was a Dublin councillor, in connection with a project at Cooldrinagh, Dublin.

The Cooldrinagh project, a retail development close to Lucan, west Dublin, never materialised.

Mr Dunlop was employed by Mr O’Callaghan to promote the Quarryvale scheme, now the Liffey Valley shopping centre in west Dublin, after Mr O’Callaghan became partners with Luton-based developer Tom Gilmartin in 1991.

Mr Dunlop had told the tribunal in private interview he was not making the accusation against Mr Mulcahy himself. “I am just telling you what Mr O’Callaghan told me yonks ago,” Mr Dunlop had said.

Mr O’Callaghan said he did meet Mr Mulcahy in connection with Cooldrinagh, but he thought it was in his capacity as a solicitor.

Patricia Dillon SC, for the tribunal, asked Mr O’Callaghan if he could explain where Mr Dunlop had received his information, if he had not told him. “I simply can’t . . . it’s a ridiculous statement,” Mr O’Callaghan said. “I am not going to mention names, that’s how these things start off.”

Ms Dillon said Mr Mulcahy had also denied the allegation.

Mr O’Callaghan also told the tribunal he was concerned about being seen in public with the late Liam Lawlor in case it had a negative effect on Quarryvale. He said he discussed concealing Mr Lawlor’s involvement in the project with lobbyist Frank Dunlop.

Mr O’Callaghan said Mr Lawlor’s support of a project could split Dublin county council. He understood this was the case by talking to Mr Dunlop and other Dublin councillors.

Mr Dunlop had also told the tribunal Mr O’Callaghan had been warned not to associate with Mr Lawlor by former Dublin county council chairman Paddy Hickey. Mr O’Callaghan denied this.

The tribunal was told the first meeting between Mr O’Callaghan and Mr Gilmartin happened on December 7th, 1988. At the time the men were rivals, with Mr Gilmartin owning the Quarryvale site and Mr O’Callaghan owning a site at Balgaddy which already had zoning for retail development.

Mr Gilmartin had said Mr O’Callaghan had talked about his political connections and had said he’d been at a meeting with influential people the previous week.

Ms Dillon asked Mr O’Callaghan if he was sure he had not been at a meeting with an influential person shortly before he met Mr Gilmartin. When Mr O’Callaghan said he was sure, Ms Dillon produced a photograph of him from the Cork Evening Echo with then minister for industry and commerce Albert Reynolds, taken on November 21st, 1988.

Mr O’Callaghan said he would not describe that as a meeting, it was simply a visit to his Merchant’s Quay project. He admitted he had forgotten about it until Ms Dillon showed him the photograph.

Ms Dillon said if he could forget about that, he could forget about other meetings with politicians.