Taoiseach says St Luke's acquired for Fianna Fáil

Taoiseach's office:St Luke's office in Drumcondra, Dublin was not acquired solely for Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, the tribunal was told yesterday.

The tribunal heard how the two-storey redbrick house on Lower Drumcondra Road, was acquired in 1988 by a group of Fianna Fáil supporters, including the late Paddy Reilly, developer Joe Burke and former Fianna Fáil fundraiser Des Richardson.

The building was originally a doctor's surgery, the tribunal heard. Mr Ahern had been running his office from above Fagan's pub, across the road from St Luke's before the property was acquired.

Counsel for the tribunal, Des O'Neill SC, said the building was acquired to provide Mr Ahern with space for his political activities.

However, Mr Ahern said it was acquired for Fianna Fáil. He said the former Fianna Fáil constituency office was at 72 Amiens Street, but this was sold and a new base for the constituency was needed. St Luke's was chosen, he said.

Mr O'Neill said it was available to Mr Ahern from 1988 and he moved his office into it. He told the tribunal that the building was refurbished between 1988 and 1992 to provide offices and accommodation for Mr Ahern.

The work was carried out by contractors and volunteers, Mr Ahern said.

"They had to keep a residential part of it, that was the planning stipulation," he said.

He acknowledged that he did move in to the rooms upstairs, which consisted of a sitting- room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom, but said the only room which was private was the bedroom.

"The apartment was the bedroom," he said. ". . . the only thing I could control was the bedroom".

He told the tribunal that other people had access to the other rooms upstairs and "wandered in and out". Downstairs, he said, there was an office and a meeting room, in which Christmas parties were held.

Mr O'Neill asked if other people were free to sleep there. Mr Ahern said no. Mr O'Neill pointed out that in previous evidence, Gráinne Carruth, a secretary of Mr Ahern's, said the upstairs of the building was private. Mr Ahern did not agree.