MAHON TRIBUNAL:The investigation has led the tribunal to query where the money came from to buy St Luke's, writes Colm Keena
THE FINANCING of St Luke's, the famous Drumcondra constituency centre associated with former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, is the latest focus for the ongoing battle between Mr Ahern and the Mahon tribunal.
Cork developer Owen O'Callaghan, who has denied paying a bribe or bribes to Mr Ahern in the 1988 to 1992 period, is scheduled to begin giving evidence on June 11th and it is understood the tribunal would like to finish hearing evidence from Mr Ahern before hearing from Mr O'Callaghan.
The tribunal's website shows two available slots for Mr Ahern on June 4th and 5th, between now and when Mr O'Callaghan is due to take the stand. However, Mr Ahern has yet to agree on when he will attend.
The tribunal began looking into accounts said to be associated with the operation of St Luke's because it wants to satisfy itself that none of the money that passed through the accounts, or which remains lodged in the accounts, belongs to Mr Ahern personally.
The tribunal discovered a number of accounts to which substantial amounts of money were lodged and which appear to have been entirely outside the control of the elected officers of Mr Ahern's cumann or constituency organisations.
Its continuing investigation into the constituency has led it to eventually query where the money came from for the purchase of St Luke's.
The name of Mr Ahern's associate, former Fianna Fáil fundraiser Des Richardson, appears in type on the contract for the sale of St Luke's signed by him as purchaser on November 19th, 1987. The names of two other close associates of Mr Ahern's, Tim Collins and Joe Burke, appear in script alongside that of Mr Richardson.
The sale of the property was completed on January 8th, 1988. The price paid was £56,000.
The tribunal has been told a meeting was held in the Gresham Hotel on December 3rd, 1987, at which approximately 25 businessmen from the Drumcondra region were asked to agree to donate £1,000 per year over five years, to fund the purchase of St Luke's.
None of the contributors have as yet been identified.
Liam Cooper, an officer with Mr Ahern's Cumann O'Donovan Rossa since the 1980s, told the tribunal earlier this month that he had not known about the Gresham meeting until told about it recently by Mr Ahern.
He raised the matter with Mr Ahern after it had been raised at the tribunal and Mr Ahern told him about it. "And I believe him," said Mr Cooper.
An account with the name CODR was opened in November 1987 and the tribunal has been told it was opened to pay for the purchase of St Luke's. A lodgement of £34,000 was made on December 15th, a withdrawal of £37,000 was made on January 7th, 1988 (the day before the closing of the sale of St Luke's), and a further lodgement was made of £35,000 on January 11th, 1988.
The CODR account was closed on January 11th and a new one in the same name opened, with an opening balance of £22,955.13.
The account still exists and there has not been any lodgements or withdrawals to it since 1995.
The deeds of St Luke's show Mr Richardson, Mr Collins, Mr Burke, the late James Keane and the late Paddy Reilly as owners. A declaration of trust from the time states that the five men hold the property "as directed by the settlors of the trust, the St Luke's Club".
Settlors are the persons who put an asset or assets into a trust and appoint trustees. According to the evidence given to date to the tribunal, it would appear the "St Luke's Club" are the "settlors" who contributed the £56,000 used to purchase St Luke's.
However, no one has as yet shown the tribunal a trust deed, that is, the legal document that would show that a trust had been established and which would set out the instructions which existed for the trustees. Because of this, the ownership of St Luke's remains unclear.
Prior to the purchase of St Luke's, the Fianna Fáil organisation in the area used 72 Amiens Street.
When this building was sold in 1988, the proceeds were split three ways. Last February a party spokesman told The Irish Times: "The beneficiaries were three of the local constituency comhairles in Dublin. The proceeds of the sale were divided as agreed."
The share that went to Mr Ahern's side is still invested with ACC Bank.