Inquiry to examine financial dealings relating to Ahern

Des O'Neill SC, counsel for the Mahon tribunal, has said the tribunal will examine six transactions related to the bank accounts of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern between now and Christmas.

In a statement at the opening of tribunal proceedings yesterday, Mr O'Neill said he would examine transactions between December 1993 and October 1994, when Mr Ahern was minister for finance. He would seek to trace the source of the funds and the reasons they were provided, he said. The transactions are being inquired into against a backdrop of allegations made by developer Tom Gilmartin. Mr Gilmartin had claimed that Cork developer Owen O'Callaghan told him he made two payments to Mr Ahern, of £50,000 and £30,000, in relation to the Quarryvale development, now the Liffey Valley shopping centre.

Mr O'Neill listed the six transactions the tribunal had queried. These were: a loan of £19,115.97 taken out by Mr Ahern on December 24th, 1993; a lodgement of £22,500 made to a special savings account on December 30th; a lodgement of £27,164.44 to the same special savings account on April 25th, 1994; a lodgement of £2,835.56 made to a current account on the same day; a lodgement of £20,000 to an account in the name of Mr Ahern's daughters on August 8th, 1994 and a lodgement of £24,838.49 made to Mr Ahern's account on October 11th, 1994. Mr O'Neill said Mr Ahern had said the loan from AIB was to pay his legal expenses, and the other transactions were the proceeds of two goodwill loans from friends, unsolicited donations following a dinner in Manchester and £50,000 cash he accumulated in savings between 1987 and 1993.

Mr O'Neill said the transactions were largely undocumented. He said the tribunal would question AIB banker Philip Murphy as well as goodwill loans fundraisers, Des Richardson and Dermot Carew, and some contributors to the loans.

He said evidence from lobbyist Frank Dunlop, who has taken a break from the tribunal for medical reasons, and in relation to Mr Ahern's transactions should resume next week.