Wall tells of giving £2,000 to trustee of St Luke's

MANCHESTER-BASED businessman Mícheál Wall has said he gave £2,000 sterling in cash to St Luke's trustee Tim Collins in 1989.

He told the Mahon tribunal he gave the cash as a political donation in St Luke's or in Fagan's pub in Drumcondra because there was an election going on at the time. He wasn't asked for the money and had no interest in politics, he said, but some of his good friends were involved and he wanted to "throw his hand into it".

He said he received no receipt for the donation and didn't want one.

Counsel for the tribunal, Henry Murphy SC, said the cash was not used for the election or lodged to an election account, but was lodged to the B/T account in the Irish Permanent Building Society in Drumcondra, which was opened by Mr Collins.

"Well I hope it ended up in a good cause," Mr Wall said.

"Further elections occurred, many of them since then, Mr Wall, but you didn't think of supporting the democratic process in Drumcondra?" Mr Murphy asked.

Mr Wall said he did not, but he did attend the party's annual fundraising dinner. The day after one of the dinners, in December 1994, Mr Wall gave Bertie Ahern a suitcase of almost £30,000 sterling in cash, the tribunal was told. "A big, big suitcase full," Mr Wall said.

He said he brought the money over as part of the deposit for 44 Beresford, off Griffith Avenue, which he bought in 1995 to use as a base while he set up a coach business in Dublin. Mr Murphy reminded him that the last time he appeared at the tribunal, he said he brought the money over to pay for a conservatory and for stamp duty.

"That's what it was used for. . . it's swings and roundabouts," Mr Wall said.

"Why bring over the cash?" Mr Murphy asked.

"Why not, perfectly legal, my money and I dealt in cash," Mr Wall said.

Mr Murphy then listed four cheque transactions and a money transfer carried out by Mr Wall in relation to the house purchase. "So, could I ask you again please, why did you choose. . . to leave it in cash in St Luke's with Mr Ahern and Ms [Celia] Larkin?" he asked.

"I've told you in the past, I had the money available obviously," Mr Wall responded.

Mr Wall also told the tribunal he bought the house without looking inside it. He said Mr Ahern and his partner Ms Larkin chose it. Mr Ahern agreed to rent it from Mr Wall with an option to buy.

Mr Wall said he would have moved out of his newly purchased home straight away if Mr Ahern had said he wanted to buy it.

Mr Murphy asked why he did not suggest to Mr Ahern that he buy the house himself. "I wouldn't be so cheeky as to say that to anyone," Mr Wall said.

Mr Wall said he had a serious accident in 1995 and did not use the house until 1996, but he stayed in it up to 20 times before he sold it to Mr Ahern in 1997.

"Did you stay there at all when Mr Ahern was a tenant?" Mr Murphy asked. "I certainly did, and I can stay there tonight if I wanted to," Mr Wall replied.