Failure to disclose source of cash made O'Callaghan link unprovable

QUARRYVALE:AS THE former taoiseach Bertie Ahern did not disclose to the tribunal the true source of money lodged to his accounts in the 1990s, it could not determine whether he received any payment from the Cork developer Owen O'Callaghan, the tribunal said.

The tribunal conducted private and then public investigations into the personal finances of Mr Ahern to establish or exclude the possibility of a connection between him and Mr O’Callaghan.

“Much of the explanation provided by Mr Ahern as to the source of the substantial funds identified and inquired into in the course of the tribunal’s public hearings, was deemed by the tribunal to have been untrue.”

The tribunal said that, regrettably, its inquiries had been “rendered inconclusive” because of the nature of the former taoiseach’s evidence.

“Because the tribunal has been unable to identify the true sources of the funds in question, it could not therefore determine whether or not the payment to Mr Ahern of all or any of the funds in question, were in fact made by or initiated, or arranged, directly or indirectly, by Mr O’Callaghan, or by any other identifiable third party or parties.”

The tribunal said that it was satisfied Mr O’Callaghan had provided substantial funds to the lobbyist and former Fianna Fáil press officer, Frank Dunlop, for the purposes of making corrupt payments to politicians in connection with Mr O’Callaghan’s Quarryvale development in Dublin in the 1990s.

The tribunal accepted the evidence of developer Tom Gilmartin who said that he had been told by Mr O’Callaghan that he, Mr O’Callaghan, had made payments of £30,000 and £50,000 to Mr Ahern.

It was also satisfied broadcaster Eamon Dunphy gave honest evidence when he told the tribunal that Mr O’Callaghan had conversations with him in which he implied or inferred that he had made corrupt payments to Mr Ahern. It said this was corroborative of Mr Gilmartin’s assertions.

It accepted Mr Dunphy’s evidence that Mr O’Callaghan’s comments to him were to the effect that he “found it necessary to engage in corrupt activity in order to successfully develop property in Dublin”.

The tribunal also made findings relating to a proposal at one stage to build a football stadium in Neilstown, Dublin.

Mr O’Callaghan engaged the services of Mr Dunphy to help in discussions aimed at getting the then English Premier League team, Wimbledon, to relocate to Dublin.

Mr O’Callaghan discussed the idea with Bill O’Connor, of investment bankers Chilton O’Connor, of Los Angeles, a firm at which Niall Lawlor, the son of the late Fianna Fáil TD, Liam Lawlor, was an employee. Government support was considered vital to the project.

The tribunal rejected Mr Ahern’s evidence that the stadium had not been a principal topic of discussion during a meeting the former taoiseach had with Mr O’Connor in Los Angeles in March 1994.

It also rejected as not credible Mr O’Callaghan’s evidence that he was not briefed on the outcome of the meeting afterwards.

Mr Ahern was minister for finance at the time and his department gave the proposal a negative appraisal in September 1994.

However, the tribunal said that it was satisfied “contrary to the evidence of Mr O’Callaghan and Mr Dunlop (and also notwithstanding Mr Ahern’s evidence) there remained on the part of Mr O’Callaghan and Mr O’Connor and indeed of Mr Dunlop, every expectation that they would further progress their stadium proposals in subsequent contact with Mr Ahern”.

Mr Ahern’s government was replaced by the rainbow coalition in December 1994.