THE CORK-BASED property developer Owen O'Callaghan has said he very much regrets the fact that former taoiseach Albert Reynolds will not be giving evidence to the Mahon tribunal.
Mr Reynolds was to give evidence concerning allegations that he received £150,000 from Mr O'Callaghan in March 1994, after a dinner in a house in Cork.
Tom Gilmartin, Mr O'Callaghan's former partner in the development of the Quarryvale, now Liffey Valley, development in Dublin in the early 1990s, has told the tribunal he had been told by Mr O'Callaghan that he had given Mr Reynolds the money. He has also said he was told money was given to former taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
On Wednesday the tribunal heard that Mr Reynolds would not be giving evidence because he is suffering from a "significant cognitive impairment". Mr Reynolds has denied receiving any money from Mr O'Callaghan in public statements. Mr O'Callaghan said that while he fully understood the reasons for the inability of Mr Reynolds to attend, "I had looked forward to Mr Reynolds categorically refuting the allegations made by Tom Gilmartin that I gave him very substantial sums of money in connection with development projects of mine."
In a statement yesterday, Mr O'Callaghan said: "These allegations are again repeated in some media coverage this morning in a context which suggests that there is some 'mystery' about the relationship between Mr Reynolds and I. There is no mystery and I never, ever, paid any monies to Mr Reynolds. There is not a shred of evidence, simply because there can't be, that any such monies were paid. Mr Ahern will undoubtedly confirm the position when he returns to the Mahon tribunal in September. It is a pity that Mr Reynolds is unable to do so. It is a pity for me and for him but the biggest pity is for those who really want the truth."