FORMER minister Frank Fahey has said that he is "far from the wealthiest person in the Dáil" and claims that he has been the subject of an "unbelievable" and "orchestrated campaign" over the past couple of years.
Mr Fahey was commenting on this week's publication of Dáil Éireann's register of members' interests, which shows him to have one of the longest entries, with declared properties in Ireland, Brussels and Dubai.
Speaking to Keith Finnegan on Galway Bay FM radio yesterday, Mr Fahey said his integrity and credibility were intact and he had "never done anything wrong".
Galway gardaí said yesterday that there was "no new information" to support allegations made by Mr Fahey in June 2006 that individuals in his Galway West constituency had embarked on a rumour campaign aimed at damaging his career.
In the interview with Mr Finnegan, Mr Fahey emphasised that he had been cleared by the Standards in Public Office Commission, following a complaint made about him.
Commenting on his current property portfolio, Mr Fahey told Mr Finnegan that he was "not wealthy by any means", and his bank manager "isn't very happy at the moment".
With "all those properties I borrowed 90 [ per cent] and in a lot of cases 100 per cent, because obviously I was borrowing on the basis of equity," Mr Fahey said. "I would have a number of partners in the properties.
"I've always been interested in property and I told you before, I bought my first house when I was 20 years of age working on a building site in Renmore with McInerney's and I built that up over the years."
He said he was glad not to be a minister at the moment and was working with the Taoiseach and with Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey on a number of "major projects".
"As you know Brian Cowen is probably my best mate and I work very closely with him," Mr Fahey said.
"When I was a minister, there were very strict guidelines where I couldn't be involved in any shape or form in the properties other than buying or selling them. In actual fact, I had to give my wife power of attorney in order to sign documentation and so on.
"Now that I'm not a minister any more I am not under that same stricture, but you know I have no difficulty with my property. . .
"At the moment, all the parties are finding it very hard to get quality candidates to stand for the local elections. What young person who is successful in business or property would want to go into this business with the kind of, I suppose, odium that the press seeks to put on people who are involved in the way that I am.
"I have never done anything wrong, I have never done anything that I can't be proud of . . .
"The sad thing about the national media at the moment is that the two broadsheets - you know, the paper of record which was that in the past and the Irish Independent - weren't up to this kind of thing a number of years ago."
Mr Fahey said he was "lucky", and had anticipated the strengthening euro two years before it occurred. "And I suppose, Keith, if I were to give advice to people this morning, I would say go out and buy some property now - it's great value."
In 2000, it emerged that Mr Fahey's name was on the title deeds of a property in Daytona Beach, Florida, that was not disclosed on the register of TDs' interests. Mr Fahey said he had no beneficial interest in the property but had put his name on the title deeds as guarantor for a friend.