Cowen rejects call for Ahern resignation

Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Brian Cowen today dismissed a call from the Labour Party for the Taoiseach to resign over his testimony to the Mahon tribunal.

Speaking at the National Ploughing Championships today, Mr Cowen said Bertie Ahern had given his evidence to the tribunal to the best of his ability. "It is a matter for tribunal to adjudicate now," he said.

"The Taoiseach has obviously no intention of resigning," Mr Cowen said, adding that Mr Ahern had the full support of Fianna Fáil and there was no disagreement on the issue among party members.

"I find it hard to understand how someone can ask for a resignation when no allegation has been made," the Minister said. He said the Taoiseach has not been subject to any allegation but that the tribunal was simply examining his finances.

Mr Cowen said he was confident any vote of no confidence would be rejected.

The Green Party's Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan, said the tribunal should be allowed to run its course "before jumping to conclusions".

Fine Gael and Labour have said Mr Ahern's account of his personal finances in the 1990s was not credible and they would consider supporting a Dáil motion of no confidence in his leadership.

In a radio interview this morning, Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore said Mr Ahern should step down.

"We've had over four days of direct evidence by the Taoiseach [at the tribunal], and frankly, the story is just not believable," Mr Gilmore told Newstalk's Breakfast Show.

"I think the time has now come when he has to consider his position as taoiseach," Mr Gilmore added. "I think he has to resign voluntarily rather than us have a great political row over it."

In a separate interview on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Gilmore said Mr Ahern's position was in question. "In any country where a prime minister is in this kind of situation where he accepted large sums of money when he was minister for finance and where he has not been able to provide a credible explanation for that, I think there is only one course for him. . . and that is to resign his office."

Mr Gilmore said he was determined to raise the issue in the Dáil on Friday.

Fine Gael's defence spokesman Jimmy Deenihan said this morning Mr Ahern's evidence to the tribunal has raised more questions than it has answered. "The evidence he gave to the tribunal doesn't stack up," he said. "He's not telling the full truth."

A Fine Gael spokesman told The Irish Timesthe party was reviewing the detail of Mr Ahern's sworn evidence. "When we have completed our review we will form a political view on Mr Ahern's explanations for large cash lodgements into his accounts," he said.

"Fine Gael will then decide how Mr Ahern can be held accountable to the Dáil. All options will be considered, including a motion of no confidence."

This morning, Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey accused Fine Gael and Labour of "making a political football" out of the issue.

Also speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, the Minister said the tribunal was supposed to be investigating an allegation by developer Tom Gilmartin that Mr Ahern accepted a large sum of money from Owen O'Callaghan, among other claims.

"Over the 18-and-a-half hours of evidence by the Taoiseach over three days, I haven't even heard that allegation put to the Taoiseach," Mr Dempsey said. "The Opposition haven't heard what they wanted to hear, and now they're going to start making a political football out of it."

He said the tribunal has yet to publish its report on Mr Ahern's evidence. "The least the Oireachtas can do is wait for the report and not try to decide issues before the report is made," he added.