As Ireland's EU Commissioner, Mr Padraig Flynn, yesterday maintained his silence on allegations that he had received a £50,000 payment from Mr Tom Gilmartin, a property developer, the Taoiseach defended Mr Flynn's record in Brussels but refused to endorse him for a further term.
Mr Ahern will face fresh embarrassment on his return later in the week from Lebanon and Israel, as Mr James Gogarty, a key witness at the Flood tribunal, is now moving towards elaborating on his claims about donations made to the former minister for foreign affairs, Mr Ray Burke.
Mr Flynn left Ireland yesterday after sparking controversy over his future by remarks he made during the Late Late Show on RTE television.
Meanwhile, in an unusually strident attack on Mr Ahern, the Labour Party leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, accused the Government of "speaking out of both sides of its mouth" on Mr Flynn's future.
According to Mr Quinn, the Taoiseach's attitude to Mr Flynn was "reminiscent of how he treated Albert Reynolds's bid to secure the Fianna Fail presidential nomination.
"Personally, he is all sweetness and light, while others, as was the case with Mr Reynolds, are sent out to gut Mr Flynn", the Labour leader said.
Accusing the Taoiseach's "spin doctors" of putting out a story that Mr Flynn would not be reappointed to another term as Commissioner, Mr Quinn said that Mr Ahern was publicly indicating that he would not make an early decision on the matter.
"It would appear that Mr Ahern is preparing to cast Mr Flynn aside, but not just yet. If this is his intention, he should indicate it now. To leave the decision hanging until next summer could be construed as influencing any evidence Mr Flynn would be asked to give to the [Flood] tribunal in the interim", Mr Quinn said.
While the Flood tribunal was not a court of law, the level and nature of the contacts between Mr Flynn and Mr Gilmartin, a prospective witness to the tribunal, "gave rise to concern".
Mr Flynn should clarify immediately whether he accepted Mr Gilmartin's outline of events, Mr Quinn said. "At the very least, the Taoiseach, as leader of Fianna Fail, should contact Mr Flynn and insist that he clarifies the current situation. So far, we have had nothing but hot air from the Taoiseach on ethics. Now is the time for action", Mr Quinn added. ail, Mr Quinn said that Mr Ahern did not appear to be prepared to deal with problems surrounding party members as these arose. While refusing to state whether he intended to renominate Mr Flynn, the Taoiseach, speaking during his visit to Lebanon, strongly commended the Commissioner for doing "an outstanding job for the country". He would not consider the appointment until the summer, he added.
Senior Fianna Fail sources continued to take the view that Mr Flynn was unlikely to be renominated to the new Commission, which is due to convene for the first time in January, 2000.
Mr Flynn was unavailable for comment yesterday. It is understood that he will maintain his silence, until he appears before the Flood tribunal, about claims by Mr Gilmartin that he gave him £50,000 in the late 1980s.
During his Late Late Show appearance - now seen in political circles as a serious miscalculation - Mr Flynn commented on Mr Gilmartin's health. As a result, it appears that Mr Gilmartin has changed his mind and is prepared to give evidence to the Flood tribunal.
Mr Flynn had said that he never asked for, or received, money from anybody to do favours for anyone. He said also that he had never taken money to do a political favour for anyone as far as planning was concerned.