O'Callaghan 'devastated' by claims

MAHON TRIBUNAL:CORK DEVELOPER Owen O'Callaghan has said allegations made against him by his former business partner had a devastating effect on him.

On his last appearance at the Mahon tribunal yesterday, after 39 days of evidence, Mr O’Callaghan told his counsel, Paul Sreenan SC, that he had co-operated with the tribunal to the best of his ability.

He denied all of the allegations made against him by developer Tom Gilmartin, including that he told Mr Gilmartin he had paid former taoiseach Albert Reynolds £150,000 or that he gave £80,000 to former taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

Mr O’Callaghan was being cross-examined as part of the planning tribunal’s Quarryvale II module, an investigation into allegations of corruption surrounding the rezoning of land in north Dublin.

Mr Sreenan listed the allegations and asked if Mr O’Callaghan had ever told Mr Gilmartin he had the late Charles Haughey, the late Liam Lawlor, Mr Reynolds or Mr Ahern on his payroll.

“Never said such a thing,” Mr O’Callaghan replied.

Mr Sreenan said Mr O’Callaghan had been generous in his support of causes he believed in and was entitled to financially support politicians and parties whose views he wished to advance.

“But . . . you are aware that what is improper is to bribe a politician for his vote,” he said.

Mr O’Callaghan said he had never made any payment to any politician for a corrupt purpose, he had never paid for a vote nor had he authorised someone else to pay a politician on his behalf.

He did not find out that his lobbyist Frank Dunlop had been making payments to councillors in connection with the Quarryvale development until April 2000, when Mr Dunlop told the tribunal.

He told Mr Sreenan he had co-operated with the tribunal.

“Unlike Mr Gilmartin, you haven’t destroyed relevant documents?” Mr Sreenan asked.

“Absolutely not,” Mr O’Callaghan replied.

Mr Sreenan said Mr O’Callaghan had had to listen to allegations made to the press in a “drip-fed manner” before he had an opportunity of responding.

He asked Mr O’Callaghan what the personal effect of the allegations over all his years of involvement with the tribunal had been. “In one word, devastating,” Mr O’Callaghan replied.

Tribunal chairman Judge Alan Mahon asked about Mr Gilmartin’s allegation that Mr O’Callaghan had hidden in a broom cupboard during a break in a meeting with the bank so that he could eavesdrop on Mr Gilmartin’s conversation, and had then fallen out of it.

“Leaving aside the specific account of falling out . . . can you recall any incident or event where perhaps you might have innocently appeared from a somewhat hidden position?” the judge asked.

“Absolutely not, sir,” Mr O’Callaghan said.