Flynn says he never asked for political contributions

Former minister Mr Pádraig Flynn says he never asked for a political contribution in his life.

He told the tribunal he did ask for contributions for Fianna Fáil but never asked for personal donations. Outlining his method for dealing with such contributions, he said that of money he received, some were cashed and retained for various purposes.

In politics, money was always needed. In his business life before he entered politics, he often thought he was the local "bank" because so many people would come to have cheques cashed on a Friday.

Asked if he acknowledged contributions, he replied: "Sometimes". If he were asked for an acknowledgment he would provide it. On other occasions, he would meet a donor and thank the individual personally for support given.

Ms Patricia Dillon SC, for the tribunal, pointed out that Mr Flynn received a donation of £8,000 from National Toll Roads in 1993 but had failed to recollect this until contacted by the company.

She said the money was lodged to one of the non-resident accounts along with a £36,000 Dáil gratuity. Shortly after, £25,000 was withdrawn from this account and used to put a deposit down on an apartment at Burleigh Court in Dublin.

However, Mr Flynn said the £8,000 did not form part of the withdrawal used to fund the purchase of the apartment.

This came from the gratuity money.

Asked about the sources of his political donations, Mr Flynn said he got contributions from family and relations as well as "a lot" from supporters.

But he didn't keep records and he didn't write every contribution into "a little black book".

"Don't be asking me to remember back 16 to 17 years ago when I didn't keep a record," he told counsel at one point.

He pointed out that Mayo was a huge area for a politician to cover during an election. It was 130 miles from one end of the county to the other, which was equivalent to the distance between Dublin and Galway.

Elections were expensive and everything was organised "at a rush", with work continuing until the small hours, he explained.

Asked to quantify the election expenses he incurred in 1989, Mr Flynn listed a series of areas such as printing, entertainment and office expenses with a combined total cost of £13,000.