Statement by Bertie Ahern

I NOTE the publication today of the Mahon Tribunal final report which are not the findings of a court of law.

At the outset, I want to make clear that I have had the great honour and privilege to serve as an elected politician for over 30 years. I have dedicated my life to politics and serving the interest of the Irish people in politics. I have never accepted a bribe or a corrupt payment.

The Tribunal into Certain Planning Matters was established to inquire into allegations of planning corruption in Dublin. After spending over a decade of inquiries and countless millions of euros, the tribunal has not made — nor could it make — a finding to support the scurrilous and untrue allegation that I had been given a corrupt payment by Mr Owen O’Callaghan (the Cork-based developer of Quarryvale) or any of his companies.