Comments on financial records of FF amended

Fianna Fail and its lawyers are giving "full co-operation" to the Moriarty tribunal, counsel for the tribunal, Mr John Coughlan SC, said yesterday.

At the start of proceedings Mr Coughlan said he wanted to clarify that there were not two sets of financial records held by Fianna Fail, but one. He said that while the tribunal referred to part of the records which only came to its attention recently as "a second list", Fianna Fail preferred to call them "an extract from the records".

He also wanted to clarify that it was Fianna Fail headquarters, and not Mr Sean Fleming TD, who liased with the tribunal on the donation records.

He wanted to make it clear that "Mr Fleming was no longer in charge of the party's funds or records at the time . . . I wish to correct any erroneous impression that I may have given that it was Mr Fleming who, in August of 1999, had any hand, act or part in furnishing information or documents to the tribunal."

Neither had Mr Fleming played a part in providing the tribunal with what it had referred to as the second list.

"Mr Fleming has asked me to clarify, and I am happy to do so, that there is only one listing of Fianna Fail contributions, and these are contained in the Fianna Fail official cash receipts book, and that it would be incorrect to suggest that there is a separate or second list of contributors."

Mr Coughlan continued: "Just to clarify that there was only one set of records and that there weren't two sets being kept, and that what the tribunal describes as a second list is what Mr Fleming describes as an extract from the records."

He said the extract - a list containing the names and reference numbers of contributors in relation to which Mr Haughey asked that receipts to be sent to him - was "always in the property of Fianna Fail headquarters".

Mr Fleming agreed with Mr Coughlan that, without the extract, one would not be able to identify all of the people whose donations were receipted directly to Mr Haughey.

Later, Mr Eoin Ryan, who joined the Fianna Fail fund-raising committee in 1992, told the tribunal he had informed Mr Bertie Ahern in 1996 of a meeting he had with Mr Mark Kavanagh, during which Mr Kavanagh said he was "somewhat annoyed" that he had not received a receipt for a previous donation. Mr Ahern told Mr Ryan he would look into the matter.

Mr Ryan said he had not checked the party records to see what size of donation had been made by Mr Kavanagh in 1989. Nor had he and Mr Ahern discussed the amount.

Mr Jerry Healy SC said that the tribunal was "trying to inquire into a set of circumstances which obtained in 1989, based on records available to Fianna Fail, which suggested that Fianna Fail had received a contribution of £25,000 when in fact a payment of £100,000 had been made".

Mr Kavanagh had passed the £100,000 to Mr Charles Haughey, but only £25,000 had reached the party, the tribunal heard on Tuesday.

Mr Ryan said he had no knowledge until recently that Mr Kavanagh had subsequently given another £50,000 to Mr Ahern for Fianna Fail.

Former Fianna Fail fund-raiser Mr Paul Kavanagh said Mr Haughey had laid down a rule that fund-raisers would not discuss the size of donations with him or any Fianna Fail frontbencher.

"People who made donations became aware that we were being very secretive about the amounts and that they were probably not getting full recognition for what they were doing, so they decided as time went on . . . they were better off giving the donation to the party leader or senior ministers with the intention of it coming to the Fianna Fail party."