Mr Charles Haughey totally rejected that he diverted one penny from the funds raised to save the life of Mr Brian Lenihan, who, he said, was in ways closer to him than one of his own brothers.
Mr Haughey's reaction to questioning relating to the fund he set up for Mr Lenihan's liver transplant in 1989 was read into the tribunal record yesterday. Mr Haughey said what he did for Mr Lenihan was "the most compassionate thing I've ever done in my life".
"I think it's absolutely preposterous that this whole genuine charitable effort on my part at the time should now, 20 years or so later, be sought to be turned against me in a most cruel fashion, that I would deliberately divert for my own purposes money which was subscribed by well-meaning people for the good and salvation of my friend, Brian Lenihan," Mr Haughey said.
Mr Lenihan was one of his closest personal friends and certainly his closest political friend. "I watched him fade away in 1988/1989. I watched over him. I protected him. I kept him in office when he was hardly able to perform the functions of his office."
When Mr Lenihan went into hospital, Mr Haughey said: "I kept his job open for him, did it myself in so far as it had to be done, and when he came out of hospital that time, I again looked after him in government, and personally."
When Mr Lenihan had to have a liver transplant, there was no way he could get it, unless he (Mr Haughey) did something about it.
"There was nobody else, chairman, nobody else in the position, or able to, or prepared to take the initiative in that regard," Mr Haughey said. He succeeded in raising funds for Mr Lenihan to go to the US.
"I'm certain, and I think I will be able to persuade you, that all the monies in that fund, all the monies that were raised were dispensed for him, medically or otherwise, and that I totally reject, totally reject, here in this tribunal or anywhere else, that for one moment in all those circumstances, a man who was in fact in ways closer to me than one of my own brothers, that I would for one moment deliberately divert money raised to save his life, to any other purpose and certainly not to my own purpose."
Whatever cheques, stubs, were produced, they were irrelevant. "The fact is that I, to save my friend's life, took the initiative, instituted the raising of funds, all of which funds were spent in his best interest and I did not, and couldn't and wouldn't divert one penny of those funds to any other purpose."
Mr John Coughlan SC, for the tribunal, had asked Mr Haughey about cheques dated June 7th, 1989, from Dr Edmund Farrell, of the Irish Permanent Building Society, for £20,000, for Mr Lenihan's fund, and £10,000, for Mr Haughey's personal campaign in the general election.
The cheques for £30,000 were lodged to a Celtic Helicopters' account at the Bank of Ireland. On June 21st, 1989, a cheque for £30,000 payable to cash was drawn on the account. It was then cashed over the counter at the AIB Baggot Street branch, where the leader's account was held.
Mr Haughey made a media statement in June 1999 stating the cheque went to Celtic Helicopters by mistake, was refunded and lodged to the leader's account.
Mr Coughlan said they knew the £30,000 did not go to the party leader's account. Mr Haughey asserted it did.
Counsel said Dr Farrell made two donations of £50,000 in 1986, £40,000 in 1991, all payable to Fianna Fail and lodged in the leader's account, and £65,000 to the party in 1989. Mr Haughey said he could not recall them. He was certain neither Dr Farrell, nor the IPBS, ever sought any preferences, concessions or favours.
Mr Coughlan said in excess of £220,000 was lodged to the leader's account in 1989. About £83,000 was drawn for Mr Lenihan. A "substantial sum" remained which did not appear to have been used for Mr Lenihan.
Mr Haughey said: "You're wrong; you're wrong. I reject your accusation." It was possible donations for Fianna Fail were lodged to the account in 1989.
The media used his donation of £200 in cash to Mr Lenihan's wife, as she prepared to go to the US in 1989, to "belittle" him and "seized on it as a sort of contemptible miserliness on my part". This annoyed him.