Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the Mahon tribunal in February that he had learned of Celia Larkin’s repayment of money to Fianna Fáil Dublin Central from a constituency official whereas in fact he had been in direct contact with Ms Larkin over the issue.
Des O’Neill SC, for the tribunal, said that Ms Larkin had told the tribunal last week that she had contacted her former partner, Mr Ahern, earlier this year and told him she wanted to repay the £30,000 she had been given in 1993, along with interest.
Ms Larkin told the tribunal that she discussed the matter with Mr Ahern and he had agreed to give her a short term loan while she raised a second mortgage on her home. She left a blank cheque into St Luke's in Drumcondra, and the payee and amount were later filled in after the figure was supplied by Mr Ahern. Mr Ahern meanwhile transferred the same amount to her account.
This occurred two weeks prior to Mr Ahern attending to give evidence on February 22nd, where he was asked about the repayment of the money. Mr Ahern indicated he was learning about the matter from constituency officers and was unclear about when the money was repaid. “I asked one of the officers yesterday and they said in the period since Christmas,” he said.
Mr O’Neill asked Mr Ahern how he could have given this answer when he had in fact dealt with Ms Larkin over the issue two weeks earlier? Mr Ahern said he was in Government Buildings at the time and not sitting in St Luke's looking for when cheques arrived in.
Mr O’Neill also asked Mr Ahern about his payment of income tax, interest and penalties totalling €7,331 to the Revenue, arising from his rent-free use of an apartment in St Luke's in the early 1990s. In a report to the Revenue submitted on his behalf by accountant Des Peelo, Mr Ahern said he stayed rent-free at the apartment and also stayed on occasion “with a lady friend” during the period.
Mr Ahern said that despite what he’d said to the Revenue, he did believe he paid rent to the trustees of St Luke's as per letting agreements signed by him in 1992 and 1994. He said he had made the statement to the Revenue on Mr Peelo’s advice as he could not prove he had paid rent. Asked by Mr O’Neill if the letting agreements had simply been generated so they could be produced if questions were asked, Mr Ahern said the agreements were genuine.
When his correspondence with the Revenue was read out, Mr Ahern commented: “So much for Revenue documents being confidential.” Mr Ahern’s counsel, Conor Maguire SC, said Mr Ahern was being treated like a defendant and Mr O’Neill was acting like a prosecutor who was trying to “trap and demean” Mr Ahern.
The former taoiseach is to return to the witness box on June 17th when it is expected he will be examined about matters concerning his renting and then purchasing his current home on Beresford Avenue, Dublin.
