Builders gave Burke and FF £245,000

Mr Ray Burke and Fianna Fail received £245,000 in contributions from the builders Brennan and McGowan in the 1970s and 1980s, Mr Joe McGowan has told the tribunal.

This total comprises offshore payments of £50,000, £60,000 and £15,000 to Mr Burke between 1982 and 1985, and the proceeds of annual fundraising events held on behalf of Mr Burke between 1972 to 1984, which the witness estimated at £10,000 a year.

Ms Patricia Dillon SC, for the tribunal, asked the witness how his only recollection when he first gave evidence last year was of the money collected through fundraising.

Mr McGowan said that when he appeared last year "I hadn't done my homework or research".

He apologised once more and vowed to apologise "200 times" if that was needed.

Last year, Mr McGowan said that in 1977 he had a "spectacular win" with a horse at Cheltenham and in that year the £10,000 annual fundraising target for Mr Burke was exceeded and the politician received £20,000.

However, yesterday he said that on reflection he realised he had left Cheltenham and gone to Limerick, where he had "a certainty".

However, it had rained heavily and "what I thought was going to be a certainty got beaten".

Ms Dillon summarised the information Brennan and McGowan failed to disclose last year, including details of the offshore payments, information about almost a dozen offshore companies and the name of the Jersey law firm, Bedell Cristin, which it used.

All this information, she said, was available to it through a single phone call to Bedell Cristin.

She asked the witness why he said he had never made "a personal political donation" in his life.

Mr McGowan said this was a misunderstanding on his part. It wasn't a lie. He was confused because money which went to Mr Burke came from Gasche Investments which, he agreed, was his company in the Channel Islands.

Asked why Brennan and McGowan paid Mr Burke £60,000 from one of its offshore companies, Canio Ltd, the witness explained he had links with the Burke family going back to the mid-1960s.

"His father comes from a privileged background. . . he's from Co Mayo."

Pressed on the matter, he said "it certainly wasn't for any favours".

There was "no hidden reason" and it had "nothing to do with planning".