The Government has produced a copy of a letter to ICC Bank from the US passport investor who provided an interest-free loan to Fianna Fail, and has claimed it supports last week's statement of the Taoiseach in the Dail.
The letter to the ICC, provided to the media by a Government spokesman last night, appears to have been written by Mr Jerry Lindzon in response to bank reservations about the transfer of £10,500 from his account to Fianna Fail.
Mr Lindzon wrote to Ms Imelda Malynn, manager of treasury at ICC in July 1993, to say he was authorising the "joint owner" of the account, Mr Brian O'Carroll, to dispose of the proceeds of the account "as he deems fit".
"He may dispose of these proceeds acting alone and he has my full authorisation to do so on my behalf. The amount is for £10,000 plus all accrued interest", the letter said.
The money was transferred shortly afterwards to the party.
The document was produced after the Sunday Independent reported that a confidential ICC memo said the bank was "uneasy" about the request from Mr O'Carroll, a passports-for-sale broker, to transfer the money to Fianna Fail.
A Government spokesman last night said the letter from Mr Lindzon supported its case that the joint account was in both names and that the transfer of money was legitimate.
The passport was approved by the then minister for justice, Ms Maire Geoghegan-Quinn, and was issued to Mr Lindzon's wife, Elena, in November 1994.