The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has denied he was hiding that he made representations to the Department of Justice about the possibility of regular day release for jailed architect Philip Sheedy, four months before he was released by Judge Cyril Kelly.
The Taoiseach claimed that his inquiry was not connected, nor was it relevant to the judicial controversy in the Dail.
He told journalists in Adare, Co Limerick, that there was no question of the issue affecting relations with the Progressive Democrats in Government.
"I have nothing to hide and I informed all my Government colleagues about the matter," he said.
The Taoiseach said he got a letter from Philip Sheedy's father on July 9th, 1998. He wrote a short note and asked his private secretary to ring the Department of Justice. His private secretary was told that there was to be a review of the case in October 1999.
"We know nothing after that. We made no further representations. We did not reply back to whoever asked us and we did nothing else," he said. Mr Ahern said he had been asked to make an inquiry about the participation of Sheedy in a community project. He had no further contact with the family nor had he made any personal contact with the Minister for Justice.
The Taoiseach added that while he had informed his Government colleagues about the Sheedy inquiry, he had also made written representations to the Department of Justice after Mr John Ryan, the husband of Anne, the woman killed by Mr Sheedy in a road traffic accident, had written to him.
"In the case of Mr Ryan I did make interventions and representations, but I did not make interventions in Sheedy's judicial case."
Asked had he given a commitment to the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, that he would make a statement in the Dail on the matter, the Taoiseach said he made it clear to her that he would put the matter in the public domain.
He rejected any suggestion by the Opposition parties that he misled the Dail last Tuesday when he failed to mention the matter. "When I had no discussion in the Dail, I hardly misled the Dail. I openly discussed the matter with my colleagues and some journalists and when I was eventually asked by a journalist on Saturday, I spoke about the issue," he said.
He added: "I have now said all there is about it."
He was reminded about the matter by the Department three weeks ago and the reason he did not go public was because it had nothing to do with the judges and the early release issue. "If it had been anything similar to that, I would have said it," Mr Ahern said.