Donation to Ahern was not personal - O'Connor

The former managing director of NCB Stockbrokers said it was "offensive and absolute nonsense" to suggest that he sought to hide a personal donation to the Taoiseach by making a payment through his company.

Under cross-examination at the Mahon tribunal yesterday, Padraic O'Connor said he did not organise the bogus invoice which was processed through NCB to contribute £5,000 to Bertie Ahern in December 1993.

The contribution was part of a £22,500 whip-round arranged by former Fianna Fáil fundraiser Des Richardson and the late Gerry Brennan, solicitor to Mr Ahern. The collection was made to help Mr Ahern pay legal bills associated with his marital separation.

Mr Richardson had said Mr O'Connor made the contribution as a friend to Mr Ahern and for his legal expenses. However, Mr O'Connor said it was a donation to Mr Ahern's constituency expenses and was made by NCB.

Counsel for Mr Richardson, James O'Callaghan BL, asked Mr O'Connor why, if the contribution was to the constituency, he did not just take out his NCB chequebook and write a cheque.

Mr O'Connor said the company wanted to keep the contribution confidential because of the unusual nature of the request.

"What you sought to do was, you sought to make that personal donation through NCB and in order to get it paid by NCB, you needed a valid purpose so that a cheque could be requisitioned, isn't that right?" Mr O'Callaghan asked. "No, that's offensive and it's absolute nonsense," Mr O'Connor replied.

Mr O'Callaghan asked him why NCB had no problem writing a cheque for £1,000 the following year to take a table at a fundraising dinner for Mr Ahern's cumann, O'Donovan Rossa.

"There is a glaring inconsistency in how you dealt with both of them," Mr O'Callaghan said.

Mr O'Connor said there was a distinction between the two and NCB was not uncomfortable about being seen at the dinner.

Mr O'Callaghan also pressed Mr O'Connor on his assertion that he was not a friend of Mr Ahern. Mr Richardson had told the tribunal that Mr O'Connor was chosen as a contributor to the whip-round because he was a close friend of Mr Ahern. However, Mr O'Connor had said they had a professional relationship.

Mr O'Connor got to know Mr Ahern very well during the currency crisis of 1992 and acted as an unpaid adviser to him, the tribunal heard. Mr O'Connor agreed that he got to like and admire Mr Ahern, but only met him once or twice since he became Taoiseach.

"I never had a pint with Mr Ahern, I never went to a football match with Mr Ahern. These are things that I would do with my friends," Mr O'Connor said.

"The type of access you've had with Mr Ahern . . . indicates you had something more than just a professional relationship," coun- sel said. Mr O'Connor disagreed and said he does not understand how his name got on the list of people who might be approached for a personal donation.

"How these two people could put my name on a list and then say they came to me, one of them came to me, with what I would have regarded as an extraordinary request - it never happened," he said.

Solicitor David Clarke, acting for Mr O'Connor, sought to clarify questions raised by tribunal counsel around why Mr O'Connor had not told Mr Ahern that the contribution he made was for Mr Ahern's constituency and not for his personal bills, after Mr Ahern wrote to him in 2006 to reimburse his "loan".

He read into the record extracts from Mr O'Connor's private interview with the tribunal. Mr O'Connor had said that the issue was a political one and he did not want to get involved.

"I didn't see the point . . . Whatever Ahern decides to say to try to protect his political existence, that's politics," he had said.

Chris McHugh, financial controller of NCB, who Mr O'Connor said would agree with his recollection of events, is to appear before the tribunal today.