Opposing land move unrelated to Haughey: Owen

FORMER Justice Minister Nora Owen yesterday denied she had opposed a land development because she feared it would benefit the interests of former Taoiseach Charles Haughey.

Giving evidence to the Mahon Tribunal, Ms Owen insisted that she had no recollection of meeting developer Paul Walls in the early 1990s to discuss the possible rezoning of land in Kinsealy, north Co Dublin.

In earlier private evidence to the tribunal from Mr Walls, it had been suggested that Ms Owen was against developing the 54-acre site in 1993 as such a move could have had knock-on effects which would have suited Mr Haughey.