Minister of State Noel Ahern has claimed Fianna Fáil was the victim of a malicious dirty tricks campaign which was aimed at damaging his brother, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
Mr Ahern said he did not know who was behind any such campaign and that he had no evidence, but that some in the party believed that it was being orchestrated by somebody in Fine Gael at the highest levels.
Asked if the ongoing controversy surrounding his brother's finances was difficult for him on a personal level, Mr Ahern said that as a politician he always tried to keep the family side of things private, "but obviously there are pressures in that regard".
"My mother passed away some years ago, I would rather she was not around today to listen to some of it." He also suggested the call for a statement on the Taoiseach's finances by Michael McDowell represented "a political stroke".
"Different parties pull different strokes at election time. He was probably looking for his spectacular like he did with the ladder up the lamp-post or whatever it was the last time. He was looking for his photo opportunity. We all do it to different extents, but we have to be reasonably consistent in what we do.
"People can see through the shallowness of certain events, but I am not passing judgment on him," he said.
Mr Ahern said it seemed to him that there was "a dirty tricks campaign" under way to deflect Fianna Fáil from talking about the issues it wanted to address, such as its plans for the next five years and the advances it had made in the last 10 years in office.
"I do not know who is behind it. I do not have evidence. We would say somebody in Fine Gael at very high level, but I do not have evidence of that," he said.
Meanwhile, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív said that if the election turned into a referendum on the Taoiseach it would be easily won by Bertie Ahern.
He said that the Manchester-based businessman at the centre of the controversy, Michael Wall, came from down the road from where he lived and that people in the area all knew him quite well and knew him as an honourable person, so there was no issue.
Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte said any statement made by the Taoiseach about his personal finances should be "complete and final". There should not be further drip-feeding of material into the public domain which would further drag out the controversy.
"Fianna Fáil is trying to circle the wagons and allege a conspiracy. There was nobody around St Luke's [ the Taoiseach's constituency headquarters in Drumcondra] except Fianna Fáil people when this event happened. There is no point trying to hang it on the Opposition. It is complete nonsense," he said.
Green Party leader Trevor Sargent said there appeared to be more trust between Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley than there was between Bertie Ahern and Michael McDowell.
"I think Michael McDowell also has a responsibility in the national interest to put the information he has into the public domain, so that a statement from Bertie Ahern can be judged in the context of what Michael McDowell knows rather than in isolation, which would be a better way for the public to evaluate who is telling the truth and what the truth is," he said.
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams welcomed the Taoiseach's decision to make a statement later in the week. "I have said that the best thing for him to do is to make a statement setting out the position on all these allegations."
Asked if it could become an issue in post-election talks relating to the formation of a government, Mr Adams said: "That is a hypothetical question. Let the Taoiseach have his say. Let us presume that he is innocent and let us deal with whatever he says when he says it."
Asked about the role of Mr McDowell in the controversy, Mr Adams recalled he had said some years ago he would not send Mr McDowell for a bottle of milk.
"I have to say that I feel very vindicated in all of that. What struck me as really remarkable is that he has all of these concerns and he talks to all of the media, organises a press conference and briefs that they are going to walk out of Government and so on and so forth, but he does not pick up the phone and talk to the Taoiseach."
Mr Adams said nothing Mr McDowell did surprised him. "He is a famous attention-seeker. Hopefully, he will get his come-uppance in this election."
