Evidence to the tribunal yesterday from Mr Ray Burke poses further questions about the rigour of the Taoiseach's inquiry into payments made to Mr Burke prior to his appointment as minister for foreign affairs in June 1997.
Mr Burke told the tribunal yesterday that on the day he was appointed minister for foreign affairs in 1997 Mr Ahern asked him about a political donation he had received in 1989. This donation was made at a meeting in Mr Burke's house in June 1989, attended by developer Mr Michael Bailey and Mr James Gogarty, of JMSE.
Mr Ahern's query was whether he had done anything for that donation. Mr Burke assured him he had not.
Mr Ahern's query, as evidence by Mr Burke, is significant. Implicit in it is that Mr Ahern took for granted that Mr Burke had indeed got the money. All he was asking was whether it was a political donation or, effectively, a bribe. What is curious is that he did not ask who had given it to him as both of those who might have paid it were denying it vehemently.
Indeed, just two days previously, Mr Dermot Ahern, who had been asked by Mr Ahern to investigate allegations of payments to Mr Burke, had told him that Mr Joseph Murphy denied making any payment to Mr Burke. Mr Bailey had also denied making any such payment. Yet, according to Mr Burke's testimony, Mr Bertie Ahern never asked about these curious denials.
In the Dail on May 28th, 1998, the Taoiseach gave a sometimes unclear account of the affair. At one stage he said: "On the day I appointed the then Deputy Burke as minister I was working on the understanding that no money had been given to him." However, according to the full transcript of his comments that day - taken from a recording of proceedings and not the official transcript - he later made clear that he accepted that Mr Burke had indeed received £30,000. His only confusion was over who the donor was.
He said: "At the time I did not know, and in actual fact there was some confusion even after, about who paid the £30,000 to Mr Burke. That question was whether it was Mr Bailey or JMSE."
The interesting aspect of Mr Burke's account of his meeting with Mr Ahern is that the Taoiseach does not appear to have asked him about the bizarre fact that both of those who might have given the money to Mr Burke were denying giving him anything. Mr Burke accepted he got the money, Mr Ahern accepted it was given to him, yet he never asked about the curious fact that nobody would admit having given it to him.