The former minister for justice, Mr Seán Doherty, has declined to comment on claims that, when a minister, he gave his Cabinet colleague, Mr Ray Burke, a copy of a Garda report into planning corruption allegations against Mr Burke.
The claim is made in a book by the former government press secretary and lobbyist, Mr Frank Dunlop, who said he was asked by Mr Doherty to make a copy of the file and pass it on to Mr Burke.
Yesterday morning, at his home in Cootehall, Co Roscommon, Mr Doherty refused to be drawn on Mr Dunlop's claims, and said that he had retired from public life. "I'm not interested," he said, when asked to comment on the alleged incident.
However he indicated that he would not be taking up the issue of Mr Dunlop's published claims.
"It's irrelevant, I'm retired . . . Let him mind his business, and I'll mind mine," said Mr Doherty, who added he had an important business meeting "involving a lot of money" and therefore did not have the time to be interviewed. A former garda, Mr Doherty was minister for justice between February and November 1982 during the second government of Mr Charles Haughey, during which time Mr Dunlop was government press secretary.
Mr Dunlop's claim appears in his memoirs, Yes Taoiseach, which were published on Monday.