Correspondence:Taoiseach Bertie Ahern sought to limit the tribunal's investigations into his personal finances to a short period when he did not have a bank account, it emerged yesterday. Paul Cullenreports.
In correspondence with the tribunal last year, his lawyers proposed that the investigation of Mr Ahern's financial affairs be restricted to the period 1989-1992, and that only lodgements of £30,000 and over would be examined.
The tribunal's trawl of the Taoiseach's records arises from an allegation by property developer Tom Gilmartin that another developer, Owen O'Callaghan, paid £80,000 to Mr Ahern. The payments, which are denied by Mr Ahern and Mr O'Callaghan, are alleged to have been made in 1989 and 1992.
However, the current phase of the tribunal is scrutinising a number of foreign-currency transactions, for sums ranging from £11,000 to almost £29,000, involving Mr Ahern, which were made in 1994 and 1995.
The Taoiseach agreed yesterday with Des O'Neill SC, for the tribunal, that none of these transactions would have been "caught" by a tribunal order had it been limited to the period and sums proposed by Mr Ahern's solicitors.
Mr Ahern separated from his wife Miriam in early 1987, after which their bank accounts were operated solely by his wife. He did not have a bank account of his own until the end of 1993.
After their separation, Mr Ahern paid his wife maintenance of £1,300 a month from 1988, and this amount rose with time, it emerged at the tribunal yesterday. This money was lodged by Miriam Ahern to their account in AIB, Finglas, while Mr Ahern's salary cheques were cashed by himself or his staff.
Accounts were also opened in the names of their then infant children, Georgina and Cecelia, the tribunal heard, but Mr Ahern said these accounts were for their education and he never withdrew money from them.
Mr Ahern said the job of preparing details of his finances for the tribunal was enormous. Every Saturday night for 10 weeks he had gone through his records. "It took me months and considerable hardship and kneebending to get the information required."