Páircéir tells why he did not disclose Dunne meetings

Moriarty tribunal: Former chairman of the Revenue Commissioners Séamus Páircéir has told the tribunal why he did not tell the McCracken tribunal about meetings he had in 1987 with Ben Dunne.

He said he met Mr Dunne following a request from then taoiseach, Charles Haughey. Mr Páircéir told Jerry Healy SC, for the tribunal, that he did not regard the request from Mr Haughey as constituting a representation or submission, the words used in the letter written to him by the McCracken tribunal in 1997.

That tribunal investigated possible motives for Mr Dunne giving money to Mr Haughey and heard evidence from Mr Páircéir's successor as chairman, Philip Curran, concerning Mr Curran's meeting with Mr Dunne in 1988, following a request from Mr Haughey.

Mr Páircéir said he became involved in matters concerning the Dunnes trust because of the size of the amounts involved. He could not remember when Mr Haughey asked him to meet Mr Dunne or the terms of the request.

Mr Páircéir, who did not have legal representation, said he did not bring the documents he had been supplied with by the tribunal with him as they weighed 14lb. "I have been doing very little since February except responding to the tribunal," he said.

He gave evidence in the morning and is to resume this morning. No evidence was taken from him yesterday afternoon in recognition of his age.