Martin was shocked by O’Callaghan sum claims

ENTERPRISE Minister Micheál Martin yesterday described being “shocked, annoyed and outraged” on hearing it alleged on the radio news he had received a six-figure sum from Cork-based property developer Owen O’Callaghan.

This was completely untrue, he told the Mahon Planning Tribunal. He said he had to deal with the political and personal fallout from this public disclosure. He declared himself “absolutely furious” about what had happened.

Mr Martin strongly criticised the way the tribunal investigated “bizarre” allegations of payments made by former developer Tom Gilmartin, now a bitter rival of Mr O’Callaghan, who was his former partner in the Quarryvale project in west Dublin.