Editing Albert Reynolds (section)

== Post-Taoiseach period ==
On 4 February 1995, Reynolds was interviewed at length by [[Andrew Neil]] for his one-on-one interview show ''[[Is This Your Life?]]'', made by [[Open Media]] for Channel 4.<ref>{{cite episode|title=Albert Reynolds|date=4 February 1995|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2295591/?ref_=ttep_ep2|series=Is This Your Life?|access-date=20 November 2021|archive-date=22 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922192336/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2295591/?ref_=ttep_ep2|url-status=live}}</ref>

At the beginning of 1997, Bertie Ahern allegedly encouraged Reynolds to run for office in the coming election and offered him the position of "peace envoy" to Northern Ireland and his support{{Citation needed|date=December 2007}} as a candidate for the presidency. Fianna Fáil [[1997 Irish general election|won the election]]; however, Ahern allegedly reneged on this promise to Reynolds due to poor election results in his constituency{{Citation needed|date=December 2007}} and the change in the political situation in Northern Ireland. Reynolds was still interested in being a candidate for the presidency, along with two other Fianna Fáil candidates, [[Michael O'Kennedy]] and [[Mary McAleese]]. In a cabinet meeting, the Taoiseach (Ahern) gave a [[Bertiespeak|typically ambiguous]] speech which seemed{{To whom?|date=November 2021}} to encourage his cabinet to support McAleese.

Reynolds won the first round of voting with a comfortable margin. Still, supporters of O'Kennedy backed McAleese, who was successful and became the Fianna Fáil nominee and the eighth president of Ireland.

Reynolds retired from politics at the [[2002 Irish general election|2002 general election]], after 25 years as a TD; he was quoted in 2007 to state: "I don't bear any grudges over Ahern".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/i-dont-bear-any-grudges-over-ahern-reynolds-59953.html|title=I don't bear any grudges over Ahern: Reynolds|newspaper=[[Irish Independent]]|date=18 January 2007|first=Fionnan|last=Sheahan|access-date=4 August 2016|archive-date=22 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922192359/https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/i-dont-bear-any-grudges-over-ahern-reynolds-26280772.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Reynolds was involved in a long-running libel action against British newspaper ''[[The Sunday Times]]'' over an article published in 1994, which alleged that Reynolds had deliberately and dishonestly misled the Dáil regarding matters in connection with the Brendan Smyth affair that brought down the coalition government. The newspaper claimed a defence of [[qualified privilege]] concerning these assertions based on their supposed benefit to the public, but a [[High Court of Justice|High Court]] jury found in favour of Reynolds in 1996. The jury recommended that no compensation be paid to the former Taoiseach. The judge subsequently awarded [[contemptuous damages]] of one [[penny]] in this action, leaving Reynolds with massive legal costs, estimated at £1&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/1999/0621/libel.html |title=Reynolds libel case resumes in the House of Lords |publisher=RTÉ News |date=21 June 1999 |access-date=28 December 2010 |archive-date=20 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020030551/http://www.rte.ie/news/1999/0621/libel.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A subsequent [[court of appeal]] decision in 1998 declared that Reynolds had not received a fair hearing in his High Court action. The case continued to be heard in the [[House of Lords]]. This case led to the recognition under British law (and later introduction into Irish law as the "defence of fair and reasonable publication"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oireachtas.ie/documents/bills28/bills/2006/4306/b43b06S.pdf |title=Defamation Bill 2006 |access-date=28 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604212240/http://www.oireachtas.ie/documents/bills28/bills/2006/4306/b43b06S.pdf |archive-date=4 June 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2006/12/10/story19467.asp |title=Defamation reform: are we there yet? |newspaper=The Post |date=10 December 2006 |access-date=28 December 2010 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408001648/http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2006/12/10/story19467.asp |archive-date=8 April 2008 }}</ref>) of the so-called [[Reynolds defence]] of qualified privilege for publishers against whom libel actions regarding defamatory comments made in media publications are being taken.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/1999/1028/reynolds.html |title=Sunday Times loses latest stage of Reynolds libel battle |publisher=RTÉ News |date=28 October 1999 |access-date=28 December 2010 |archive-date=20 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020030606/http://www.rte.ie/news/1999/1028/reynolds.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Reynolds defense |via=OPUK |url=http://uk.openingpolitics.org/index.php?title=Reynolds_defense |access-date=29 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080205121138/http://uk.openingpolitics.org/index.php?title=Reynolds_defense |archive-date=5 February 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1999, General [[Pervez Musharraf]] became [[President of Pakistan]] following [[1999 Pakistani coup d'état|a military coup]]. At the time, the [[White House]] did not recognise governments that came to power through a coup d'état. Business associates asked Reynolds to travel to Pakistan and meet Musharraf.

Musharraf asked Reynolds to act as an advisor to him and to contact US president [[Bill Clinton]] to reassure the White House as to the intentions of the new government of Pakistan. Reynolds claimed in later interviews that because of the trust built with Musharraf, he would be asked to arrange peace talks between [[India and Pakistan]]. These talks started in early 2001 but were interrupted by the [[9/11 attacks]], after which Musharraf could not contact the White House. He called Reynolds, who called former president Clinton, who quickly reached his successor [[George W. Bush]] to communicate the Pakistani position.<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Brien |first=Paul |title=From North to Pakistan: Reynolds the peace broker |url=http://www.examiner.ie/story/?jp=EYIDAUQLAU&cat=World |work=Irish Examiner |date=16 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209115727/http://www.examiner.ie/story/?jp=EYIDAUQLAU&cat=World |archive-date=9 February 2008 }}</ref>

=== Mahon Tribunal ===
In 1993, Reynolds and Bertie Ahern, then Minister for Finance, wrote to developer Owen O'Callaghan seeking a substantial donation. O'Callaghan was then heavily lobbying for state support for a stadium project at [[Neilstown]], County Dublin. According to the report, O'Callaghan felt compelled to donate a sum of [[IR£]]{{nnbsp}}80,000 to Fianna Fáil to get funding for the stadium. The [[Mahon Tribunal]] did not find the payment corrupt. However, the report noted that pressing a businessman to donate money when he was seeking support for a commercial project was "entirely inappropriate, and was an abuse of political power and government authority".<ref>{{cite news|last=McEnroe |first=Juno |url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/politics/reynolds-abused-power-by-seeking-donations-188205.html|title=Reynolds 'abused power by seeking donations'|work=[[Irish Examiner]]|access-date=25 March 2012|date=24 March 2012|archive-date=24 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524004153/http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/politics/reynolds-abused-power-by-seeking-donations-188205.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In November 2007, it was alleged at the Mahon Tribunal that Reynolds, while on government business in New York, collected a substantial sum of money for his Fianna Fáil party that did not get fully credited to the party. On the same trip, it emerged<ref>{{cite news |first=Ronald |last=Quinlan |url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/reynolds-to-go-on-attack--at-tribunal-over-bahamas-visit-1234690.html |title=Reynolds to go on attack at tribunal over Bahamas visit |work=Irish Independent |date=2 December 2007 |access-date=28 December 2010 |archive-date=20 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520022419/http://www.independent.ie/national-news/reynolds-to-go-on-attack--at-tribunal-over-bahamas-visit-1234690.html |url-status=live }}</ref> in the tribunal that Reynolds had the government jet make an additional and unscheduled five-hour stopover in [[the Bahamas]].

Reynolds received annual pension payments of €149,740.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/thanks-big-fellas-ahern-and-cowen-get-massive-pensions-2931032.html|title=Thanks big fellas: Ahern and Cowen get massive pensions|work=[[Irish Independent]]|access-date=10 November 2011|first=Fiach|last=Kelly|date=10 November 2011|archive-date=14 September 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120914031001/http://www.independent.ie/national-news/thanks-big-fellas-ahern-and-cowen-get-massive-pensions-2931032.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In July 2008, it was reported that Reynolds was medically unfit to give evidence at the Mahon Tribunal because of "significant cognitive impairment". Reynolds had on several previous occasions been due to give evidence concerning payments he allegedly received when he was Taoiseach.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0730/mahon.html |title=Reynolds declared unfit to give evidence |publisher=RTÉ News |date=30 July 2008 |access-date=28 December 2010 |archive-date=14 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014065408/http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0730/mahon.html |url-status=live }}</ref>