The alleged unpaid bill affair comes as the Government and Aer Riantaare at loggerheads on the authority's future, writes Arthur Beesley
Two inquiries began yesterday into a Cabinet member's alleged non-payment of a €5,000 debt to Aer Rianta for drink and cigars.
The examinations were ordered by the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, and by the Aer Rianta chairman, Mr Noel Hanlon, after a newspaper said the bill remains outstanding after 10 years.
A consignment of wrapped Christmas gifts was apparently ordered from the airport company on behalf of the politician for his constituents and friends. But festive as the delivery of whiskey and brandy some 10 years ago apparently was, it is one which may yet give rise to a very damaging hangover.
News that the airport duty-free shop might have been used as a personal off-licence has the potential to cause enormous damage to the credibility of the politician concerned - and to that of Aer Rianta.
As officials in Aer Rianta and in Mr Brennan's Department delve into the files in an attempt to establish the facts, the affair comes just as the Government and Aer Rianta are at loggerheads over its very future.
Long the butt of criticism because of overcrowding and the quality of service at Dublin airport, Aer Rianta has effectively been in a fight for its survival.
It is one pitting Mr Brennan and long-time Aer Rianta chairman Mr Hanlon against each other. In this respect, Mr Brennan has as his adversary a formidable political operator in his own right who commands considerable clout within and outside Aer Rianta.
But if Mr Brennan gets his way, the airports at Dublin, Shannon and Cork will be established as independent entities. In addition, he wants to introduce a competing terminal at Dublin airport, funded by the private sector.
This follows the shelving of Aer Rianta's flotation plan, which was championed by Mr Brennan's predecessor, Mrs Mary O'Rourke, but which found little enough support elsewhere in Cabinet.
To say the least, Aer Rianta was not best pleased that its flotation plans were scotched. But its unhappiness only begins there.
The company has always resisted moves to build a rival terminal to its own at Dublin and regards the three airport structure as sacred. It regards the latest proposals as folly.
Though the company has maintained a quiet stance officially, senior individuals in the group and many others down the ladder have privately expressed disquiet over the Government's plans.
They point to the company's record of expansion without direct State investment and the growth of its international business, where it runs duty-free shops and manages airports in Europe.
For their part, individuals in Government circles portray any resistance from Aer Rianta as bad manners towards the parent.
Though elements of the latest plans were mooted in the Fianna Fáil and PD election manifestos, Mr Brennan has been happy to be identified as chief architect of the initiative to stimulate competition in Dublin and create stronger operating units in Shannon and Cork.
It is one of many plans embraced by the Minister since his well-publicised return to Cabinet after spending the Government's last term as chief whip.
Thus it was apparently against this backdrop of plans to overhaul Aer Rianta that he said that "any comment as to the possible timing and motivation of these allegations" would be made only when the facts were established.
In the first instance, we do not know who leaked the story about the as yet unidentified politician to the Sunday Independent. Indeed, if the history of leak inquiries is anything to go by, we never will.
When Aer Rianta's spokesman was asked whether the company or any of its agents had released the news, he said "no, absolutely not".
The company has attempted to avoid comment on the matter, stating that it was now the subject of an inquiry by its secretary, Mr Brian Hampson, and the head of its internal audit division, Mr Tony Sweeney.
In addition, certain board members contacted yesterday said they knew nothing of the affair.
Yet one well-known individual, Mr Dermot O'Leary, recalled the matter being raised nine years ago. A board member until a fortnight ago, when his second five-year term finished, Mr O'Leary was acting chairman of the group in 1993.
When he became aware of the matter, Mr O'Leary said, he had raised it with the politician concerned, who denied that he had such a liability.
Mr O'Leary said he did not leak the story and said his intervention yesterday was not linked to the end of his term in office. When Mr O'Leary was asked whether he was seeking another term on the Aer Rianta board, he said the matter did not arise because of his long membership.
A wealthy businessman and a powerful backroom figure in Fianna Fáil, he was embroiled in controversy earlier this year after he used his influence in Aer Rianta to secure passage through Dublin Airport for Mr Liam Lawlor.
Previously, he had been removed from office as chairman of CIÉ by the then Fine Gael minister for transport, energy and communications, Mr Michael Lowry. At that time, senior Fianna Fáil figures rallied to his support.
Now he appears to be pointing his finger at those very ranks.
Mr O'Leary said that he asked that the matter be pursued through the appropriate channels in Aer Rianta. The extent to which the matter was pursued is likely to be examined in the internal inquiry.
There are other elements of uncertainty. Insofar as there may be any files on the matter held by Aer Rianta or the Department of Transport, the inquiry might establish whether the gifts were purchased at the airport duty-free shop or at a supermarket in north Dublin. It might also pinpoint when the transaction actually took place, who instigated it and who approved it.
More intriguing, however, will be the political ramifications. One senior figure familiar with the company said yesterday that the provision of shopping service for a politician would never be tolerated. But another individual with long experience said: "There's a history there of loose controls. There were always fellows forgetting to pay bar bills. They seem to have very precise information here."