O’Callaghan: £25k payments ‘pure coincidence’

CORK businessman Owen O’Callaghan dismissed suggestions that he handed over a total of £25,000 to two Dublin politicians on the same day 15 years ago because they had backed a big building project.

He insisted it was “pure coincidence” that then-Dublin County councillors Colm McGrath and John O’Halloran each got money on November 9, 1993.

The £20,000 bulk of the amount went to Mr McGrath, after he had approached Mr O’Callaghan for help after running into trouble with the Revenue Commissioners.