Banking decisions not my responsibility - Bertie Ahern

Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern has insisted he had no responsibility for banking issues that contributed to Ireland’s financial crash.

Mr Ahern said that as head of the former government he took responsibility for Cabinet decisions that were taken on tax.

“Banking decisions that happened in the boardroom of our banks, regulation issues to do with the Central Bank and the (Financial) Regulator, I take none for. They were not my responsibility nor did I have any control over the prudential matters,” he said.

“What the banks did and the fact that it wasn’t properly regulated, that they didn’t have capital backing for a lot of the projects that they did was not the responsibility of the Cabinet.”

In an hour-long interview with Miriam O’Callaghan on RTÉ on Sunday morning, Mr Ahern said the overwhelming advice from experts was that “we would not get the kind of hit that we did”.

He admitted his Government took chances, such as allowing too much tax revenue to come from construction.

“For decisions that we perhaps should have seen or should have got right, I accept responsibility for that. It’s a collective responsibility I was the head so I’ve never ever shirked my responsibility for the areas that I was responsible for.”

Mr Ahern said he did not receive any coaching or training ahead of his appearance at the banking inquiry last week. He said he “had a few jars” with his brother Noel and some friends after appearing as a witness.

Asked if he received a negative reaction from people these days, Mr Ahern revealed he had been sent some “horrendous mail” including a rope with a noose.

However, Mr Ahern said only a “small, small minority” of people behaved in this way.

“One individual sent me a rope with a noose which wasn’t too nice,” he said.

Turning to the Mahon tribunal, which prompted his resignation, Mr Ahern it had turned its “machinery against me”.

He described the judges and lawyers as a formidable, well-researched group, “who went on longer than two world wars”.

He added: “It started affecting Government and that’s why I left.”

Businessman Tom Gilmartin’s testimony that he had been told by developer Owen O’Callaghan that he (Mr O’Callaghan) had paid money to Mr Ahern led to a lengthy examination of the politician’s personal finances by the tribunal.

The tribunal said it did not accept Mr Ahern’s evidence in relation to certain lodgements to his bank accounts and could not say where the money had come from.

Mr Ahern continued to dispute the tribunal’s findings.

Referring to Judge Alan Mahon’s findings, Mr Ahern said he was entitled to his opinion. “They’ve opinions. They’ve no legal effect. They’re sterile.”

The findings were “wrong”, Mr Ahern insisted. Asked if everything he had told the tribunal was 100 per cent true, he said yes.

He referred to his marital situation at the time the tribunal was inquiring into. “Not a great time in my life. Some of the things I did were fairly bizarre, I don’t deny that. But it had nothing to do with Mr O’Callaghan or the others,” he said.

“I didn’t take money from anyone. I got loans from people who were very close to me.”

Mr Ahern said he had played schoolboy football with the people involved. They had been trying to help him at a particularly difficult time.

Asked if he had paid the money back, Mr Ahern said: “I did, to all of them, and I think most of them gave the money to charity”.

Mr Ahern said he did not have a problem paying his water charges.

Questioned about his personality and character, Mr Ahern said he was a very ordinary person.

“I think people think I’m a far more complex person and far more deeper person than I actually am.”

Mr Ahern said that, like his siblings, he was a “proud northside Dub” of parents with Cork origins.

“We love sport. We love our games, love a bit of fun. I’m not complex at all.”