£29,000 'could not have been' from golf classics

GOLF CLASSICS LODGEMENTS:LODGEMENTS TO a Fianna Fáil account totalling £29,000, attributed by accountants to golf classics held for the Dublin Central constituency in 1992 and 1995, could not have been from golf classics, the tribunal was told yesterday.

Counsel for the tribunal, Des O'Neill SC, said that the first golf classic for the constituency was not held until 1997.

According to a report prepared for the tribunal by Fianna Fáil constituency accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers, a £19,000 lodgement to the BT account, opened in the Irish Permanent Building Society in Drumcondra by St Luke's trustee Tim Collins, was part of a £20,000 cheque, the proceeds of a golf classic.

In July 1995, a lodgement of £10,000 in cash to the BT account was attributed to a second golf classic.

However, Mr O'Neill read into the record an invitation from Paul Kiely, director for the Dublin Central constituency, to the "Inaugural Dublin Central Golf Classic" on October 13th, 1997.

"If Dublin Central constituency held golf classics in 1992 and 1995, it could hardly write to people in 1997 indicating that the inaugural Dublin Central constituency golf classic will take place," Mr O'Neill said.

"There have been other golf, golf outings, you know," Mr Collins said.

Mr O'Neill said there were documents to show that a second golf classic in which former Fianna Fáil fund-raiser Des Richardson was involved took place in October 1998. "Is it possible that they are the two golf classics that you remember?" he asked.

"I honestly don't know," Mr Collins responded.

Mr O'Neill said the tribunal had not received any documentation showing there had been a golf classic in 1992.

"In what circumstances would you see that you would get a cheque for £20,000 at the end of a golf classic?" Mr O'Neill asked.

He said golf classics usually produced accumulated funds.

"It's also possible that the people that organised the golf put it together and gave a cheque," Mr Collins said.

Mr O'Neill asked Mr Collins if he was consulted before the PWC report was prepared.

Mr Collins replied that he was not consulted, although no one else operated the account.

He also said he did not know why £1,000 in cash had been withdrawn when the £20,000 cheque was lodged, or what had happened to it, and he had no recollection of lodging £10,000 cash in 1995.