'I believe I tried to be as honest as I could at all times' - Carruth

TESTIMONY:THE FORMER secretary to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said she has always told the truth to the Mahon tribunal.

Gráinne Carruth told the inquiry yesterday that she did not believe she ever told "an untruth".

"I believe I tried to be as honest as I could at all times," Ms Carruth said.

Ms Carruth had been questioned about a series of lodgements she made to Mr Ahern's bank account and the accounts of his daughters at the Irish Permanent Building Society in 1994, which were linked to sterling transactions.

She had initially said she didn't make the lodgements, then conceded that she did, but hadn't handled the sterling.

However, she agreed that she must have handled sterling, but had no recollection of it.

Counsel for the tribunal, Des O'Neill SC, asked Ms Carruth about the evidence she gave the tribunal in private interview and subsequently under oath.

He said that on December 18th last year, Judge Keys had asked if her only banking input with Mr Ahern was related to his salary cheques, and she had said yes. "Those answers were untrue," Mr O'Neill said.

"That was my belief at the time," Ms Carruth replied.

Tribunal chairman Judge Alan Mahon asked Ms Carruth if her solicitor had explained the consequences to her of telling an untruth to the tribunal. She said he had not.

"Do you want to talk to your solicitor?" Judge Mahon asked.

"I just want to go home, judge," Ms Carruth responded.

Solicitor for Ms Carruth, Hugh Millar, said it was not part of the cross-examination process to intimidate the witness.

"She is not being intimidated," Judge Mahon said.

Mr O'Neill then outlined the consequences of telling an "untruth" to the tribunal under the Tribunal of Inquiry (Evidence) Amendment Act 1979.

He said if a person wilfully gives evidence he knows to be false or if he obstructs or hinders a tribunal through "act or omission", he is liable to a fine of up to €300,000 or two years imprisonment.

Such a person could also be guilty of the criminal offence of perjury.

"Do you appreciate that now," Mr O'Neill asked. "Yes," Ms Carruth replied.

Tribunal Judge Gerald Keys then asked Ms Carruth if she had a copy of Mr Ahern's account numbers when she visited the Irish Permanent Building Society.

"Bertie would have given me their passbooks I believe," Ms Carruth said.

"So you would have three passbooks then, would that be correct?" the Judge asked.

"I remember just two," Ms Carruth said.

However, she agreed that she must have had three, although she couldn't remember them.

"You appreciate that's very difficult to understand that answer in those circumstances?" Judge Keys said.

"I do, judge, I do," Ms Carruth replied.

At the conclusion of her evidence, Mr Millar asked Ms Carruth if she had told the truth on December 18th.

She said she had and that she had told the truth on Wednesday and had also told the truth yesterday.

"Have you purposely misled the tribunal at all?" Mr Millar asked the witness.

"No," Ms Carruth responded.