How much the Taoiseach knew about payments made by builders to Mr Ray Burke will come under intense scrutiny during the next week as two Government Ministers give evidence to the Flood Planning Tribunal.
The Minister for Social Community and Family Affairs, Mr Ahern, is expected to appear before the tribunal within a few days, The Irish Times learned last night. He may appear as early as today to give evidence on his investigation into alleged payments to Mr Burke before he was appointed to Cabinet by Mr Bertie Ahern in June 1997.
The Tanaiste, Ms Harney, is to give evidence within a week on how much she knew about the investigations into Mr Burke before he was appointed to the Cabinet in June 1997.
Mr Bertie Ahern has said he asked Mr Dermot Ahern to investigate allegations that Mr Burke received payments from developers. He ordered this inquiry in advance of appointing Mr Burke as Minister for Foreign Affairs. He says he was satisfied with the outcome of that investigation.
However, Mr Dermot Ahern's account of his investigation is believed to differ in important respects from Mr Bertie Ahern's.
The Taoiseach has said his investigation uncovered nothing untoward before he appointed Mr Burke as Minister for Foreign Affairs.
However, it was reported six weeks ago in the Sunday Business Post that Mr Dermot Ahern has told the Flood Tribunal in two memorandums that Mr Joseph Murphy jnr, a developer at the centre of the controversy, gave him an account of events considerably at odds with that of the Taoiseach. In particular, Mr Murphy was reported to have said he had a three-hour meeting with Mr Burke and the builder Mr Michael Bailey in June 1997 over allegations that Mr Burke had received £80,000 from the two men's companies, JMSE and Bovale.
According to Mr Murphy, Mr Bailey told Mr Murphy he had paid Mr Burke and two other Fianna Fail politicians money in return for planning favours. He also said Mr Bailey had proposed a joint payment to be given by Mr Murphy and Mr Bailey of £100,000 to Mr James Gogarty, the key tribunal witness, to buy his silence on the payment of money to Mr Burke in June 1989.
In a subsequent conversation between Mr Bertie Ahern and Mr Dermot Ahern, the Taoiseach denied any meeting with Mr Burke and Mr Bailey had taken place as described, according to the report of Mr Dermot Ahern's account to the tribunal. Mr Dermot Ahern says: "I agreed that I would submit a separate memorandum indicating his [Mr Bertie Ahern's] position on this detail, which I did."
The Taoiseach denied this Sunday Business Post report after it was published.
Mr Dermot Ahern only formally sent a copy of his report on Mr Burke "as a matter of courtesy" to the Taoiseach in May 1998, almost a year after his investigation. He included memos of his conversations with Mr Murphy jnr.